A carbon-coated Li2FeSiO4 material with uniform nanoparticles (approximately 40-80 nm in diameter) is synthesized by a synthesis route, i.e., a hydrothermal-assisted sol-gel process. As an electrode material for rechargeable lithium batteries, the Li2FeSiO4 sample shows high rate capability and excellent capacity retention. The Li2FeSiO4 electrode delivers a discharge capacity of 160 mAh g(-1) at C/16 rate, corresponding to 96% of the theoretical value. A discharge capacity of about 91 and 78 mAh g(-1) can be obtained at 5 and 10 C rate, respectively. No capacity loss can be observed up to 50 cycles. (c) 2008 The Electrochemical Society.