Nitridated Si-Ti-Ni (STN) ternary alloy as an anode for lithium ion batteries is prepared by the NH3 nitridation of STN alloy. The nitridated STN electrode shows 14% increased reversible capacity and 4 times higher rate capability at 3 C compared to those of pristine STN electrode. These improvements are attributed to the formation of nitride compounds (such as SiNx/SiNxOy, TiNx/TiNxOy and NiNx/NiNxOy) on STN alloy, which benefits both mechanics and kinetics. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.