In this work, we constructed 3D flower-like MoS2 spheres with nanosheets (less than 10 nm) by a simple alcohol-assisted solvothermal route. It was found that the presence of alcohol enhanced the dispersity of MoS2 samples, and the distilled water facilitated the formation of nanosheets through varying the volume ratio of alcohol and distilled water. The prepared MoS2 samples delivered high initial discharge capacity (1346 mA h g(-1) at a current density of 100 mA g(-1)), good coulombic efficiency (77.49% retention for the first cycle and 100% for the subsequent cycles), excellent cycling performance (947 mA h g(-1) at 100 mA g(-1) after 50 cycles) and remarkable rate behavior as anode materials for lithium ion batteries. The superior behavior of MoS2 samples for lithium ion batteries can be ascribed to the thin nanosheets, high specific surface area and their unique layered structure. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.