Antimony (Sb) based materials, as anode for lithium ion batteries (LIBs), exhibit a great potential these years. However, its actual application is restricted by the quick capacity loss due to the volume change during cycling process. In this work, we have developed a simple solvothermal and partial thermal reduction process to synthesize the carbon-coated Sb/Sb2O3 (Sb/Sb2O3@C) sphere, which can enhance the electrochemical performance of Sb based anode for lithium ion batteries. When served as anode material for LIBs, the Sb/Sb2O3@C sphere can exhibit an excellent electrochemical performance with a high specific capacity of 686 mAh g(-1) at the current density of 100 mA g(-1) and superior rate reversibility. Even tested at a larger current density of 500 mA g(-1), the electrode can still maintain a good capacity of 467 mAh g(-1) after 95 cycles. This design involved partial reduction can effectively improve the cycling performance and rate capability. The results indicate that the Sb/Sb2O3@C sphere could be a potential candidate as anode material for LIBs. (C) 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.