Core-shell Fe3O4@Fe nanoparticles embedded into porous N-doped carbon nanosheets was prepared by a facile method with NaCl as hard-template. The three-dimensional carbon architecture built by carbon nanosheets enhance the conductivity of the encapsulated Fe3O4@Fe nanoparticles and strengthen the structure stability suffering from volume expansion during extraction and insertion of lithium ions. Rich Pores enhance the surface between electrode and electrolyte, which short the transmission path of ions and electrons. The core-shell structure with Fe as core further improves charge transferring inside particles thus lead to high capacity. The as-prepared Fe3O4@Fe/NC composite displays an irreversible discharge capacity of 839 mAh g(-1) at 1 A g(-1), long cycling life (722.2 mAh g(-1) after 500th cycle at 2 A g(-1)) and excellent rate performance (1164.2 and 649.2 mAh g(-1) at 1 and 20 A g(-1), respectively). The outstanding electrochemical performance of the Fe3O4@Fe/NC composite indicates its application potential as anode material for LIBs. (C) 2018 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.