Derived from avocado fruit, a three dimension (3D) carbon is prepared via a hydrothermal/pyrolysis process followed by embedding with MnO nanoparticles by a wet chemical method and coating with Al2O3 through an atomic layer deposition technique. The obtained material presents a hierarchical structure that MnO nanocrystals wrapped in 3D carbon and then encapsulated in a uniform Al2O3 layer with a thickness of about 5 nm. Benefiting from this hierarchical structure in which 3D carbon offers numerous electronic pathways to enhance the conductivity and Al2O3 nanolayer provide a shelter to keep away from dissolution of Mn4+ and volume changes during charge/discharge process. This material (marked as C/MnO@Al2O3) has exhibited high rate performance and excellent cyclability as an anode for lithium ion batteries. A high specific capacity of about 600 mA h g(-1) is achieved at a current density of 1000 mA g(-1) and the electrode can still deliver a high specific capacity of about 1165 mA h g(-1) at 150 mA g(-1) after 100 cycles. These results facilitate a green and high potential of anode materials towards promising devices for advance performance of lithium-ion batteries. (C) 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.