The titanium oxides with one-dimensional (ID) nanostructure are of significance in electrochemical lithium insertion owing to their high specific surface area and pore volume. In this study, nanorods with diameters of ca. 3-5 nm and lengths of 40-60 nm were prepared through the hydrothermal treatment of a hydrolysate obtained from TiCl4 with caustic soda as demonstrated by HRTEM. These nanorods are protonated titanate and can be converted into the anatase (TiO2) nanorods by a calcination at 400 degreesC. The anatase nanorods have a large specific surface area of 314 m(2)/g and a high pore volume of 1.514 cm(3)/g, respectively. The anatase TiO2 nanorods exhibit a large initial electrochemical lithium insertion capacity of 206 mAh/g and good reversibility. The splitting and multi peaks in cyclic voltammograms associated with differing site occupations are ascribed to the formation of the imperfection of the TiO2 nanorod lattice, which facilitates the transport of lithium in surface defects and bulk materials.