Nanosheets of lithium vanadium oxide (LiV3O8) were successfully synthesized by a simple low temperature citrate sol-gel combustion route. Compact nanosheets of the active material were observed by scanning and transmission electron microscopies. X-ray diffraction measurements indicated that as-prepared nanosheets presented pure phase of monoclinic LiV3O8 with p2(1)/m symmetry. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) was employed to investigate the electrochemical behavior of the nanosheets with special emphasis on the application potential as anodic material for aqueous rechargeable lithium batteries. CV studies demonstrated that the LiV3O8 nanosheets represent well-defined reversible peaks. The nanosheets showed a discharge capacity of 63 mAh/g in 1.0 M LiNO3 solution at a 2C/5 rate. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.