To use as an anode material of lithium batteries, carbon-coated TiO2 nanotubes are prepared by hydrothermal reaction of rutile particles, subsequent sol-gel mixing with poly(vinyl pyrrolidone), and heat treatment at 300-500 degrees C. The carbon-coated TiO2 nanotubes are also characterized by morphology observation, crystalline property analysis, potentiostatic redox behaviors, and galvanostatic discharge-charge evaluations at low and high rates. When annealed at 300 degrees C, the amorphous phase of carbon layers which are covered on the TiO2 nanotubes dominates the anatase TiO2 nanocrystalline phase. When annealed at 500 degrees C, the carbon-coated TiO2 nanotubes exhibit superior cyclic performance and high-rate capability, due to the crystalline phase in the carbon-coated layer formed by annealing at high temperature. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.