A nanocrystalline Li[Li0.12Ni0.32Mn0.56]O-2 powder was synthesized by a pyrolysis method using polyacrylate salts as the precursor compounds. XRD and TEM results demonstrated that the Li[Li0.12Ni0.32Mn0.56]O-2 powder has a layered structure as alpha-NaFeO2 and has an average particle size of 50-70 nm. The charge-discharge experiments show that the Li[Li0.12Ni0.32Mn0.56]O-2 electrode can deliver a reversible, capacity of similar to140mA h g(-1) cycling at 2.5-4.5 V and can still remain 94% of its initial capacity after 10 cycles, showing a great promise for future applications. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.