Amorphous ZnSnO3-C hollow microcubes have been produced by calcination of the pre-synthesized ZnSn(OH)(6) hollow microcubes in argon, followed by the surface decoration of carbon. The calcination temperature plays an important role in the phase and morphology of the obtained products. ZnSnO3-C hollow microcubes have an average edge length of about 1.0 mu m with the shell thickness of approximate 145 nm. When adopted as the anode materials for lithium ion batteries, amorphous ZnSnO3-C hollow microcubes manifest greatly enhanced electrochemical properties compared to amorphous ZnSnO3 hollow and solid counterparts. After 50th cycles, a high reversible capacity of 703 mA h g(-1) can be obtained for amorphous ZnSnO3-C hollow microcubes at the current density of 100 mA g(-1). The superior lithium storage properties of ZnSnO3-C are due to its unique hollow structure with large specific surface area, the modification of carbon and the amorphous characteristic. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.