Co3O4 nanofibers as anode materials for lithium-ion batteries were prepared from sol precursors by using electrospinning. The morphology, structure and electrochemical properties of Co3O4 nanofibers were characterized by atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and charge-discharge experiments. The results show that Co3O4 nanofibers possessed typical spinel structure with average diameter of 200 nm. The initial capacity of Co3O4 nanofibers was 1336 mAhg(-1) and the capacity reached 604 mAhg(-1) up to 40 cycles. It was suggested that the high reversible capacity could be ascribed to the high surface area offered by the nanofibers' structure. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.