A novel conductive sulfur-containing nanocomposite cathode material was synthesized by heating the mixture of sublimed sulfur and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) in certain conditions. The cathode with MWNTs-sulfur nanocomposite (MSN) material shows the improvement of not only the charge-discharge capacity but also cycle durability. From the results, it is confirmed that the MWNTs shows a vital role on adsorbing sublimed sulfur and the polysulfides within the cathode and is an excellent electric conductor for the lithium-sulfur rechargeable system. It can effectively prevent the shuttle behavior of the lithium-sulfur battery. (C) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.