Mesoporous tin oxides have been prepared by a surfactant templating method. Characterization with transmission electron microscopy techniques showed that the compounds formed as hexagonal mesoporous phases, retaining their mesostructural nature with a pore size of about 4 nm after calcination at 350 degreesC. These materials showed good electrochemical performance as anode materials for lithium ion batteries, with over 400 mAh/g charge capacity and good reversibility.