Three nanocarbon materials (0 D acetylene black (AB), 1 D carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and 2 D reduced graphene oxide (RGO)) were used as conductive additives (CAs) in the mesocarbon microbead anodes for lithium ion batteries. The electrochemical performances of the electrodes were investigated. The results show that the CAs have a significant impact on the electrode performance because they can influence the electron conduction and lithium ion transportation within the electrode. The electrode with RGO achieves a maximum capacity of 387 mAh g(-1) after 50 cycles at a current density of 50 mA g(-1), much higher than those of the electrodes with AB (334 mAh g-1) and CNTs (319 mAh g(-1)). The improvement should be mainly ascribed to the "plane-to-point" conducting network formed in the electrode with 2 D RGO which can favor the electron conduction and enhance the lithium ion transportation. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.