A macroporous SnO(2)/C composite anode material was synthesized using an organic template-assisted method. Polystyrene spheres were synthesized and used as template and lead to macroporous morphology with pores of 300-500 nm in diameter and a surface area of 54.7 m(2) g(-1). X-ray diffraction showed that the SnO(2) nanoparticles are crystallized in a rutile P42/mnm lattice with the presence of Sn metal traces. The synthesized macroporous SnO(2)/C composite provided promising performance in lithium half cells showing a discharge capacity of 607 mAh g(-1) after 55 cycles. It was found that the macroporous SnO(2)/C composite is stable and resistant to pulverization upon cycling. Crown Copyright (C) 2011 Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.