Herein, we report magnesium sulphide (MgS) as an anode for lithium ion batteries. Magnesium sulphidecarbon composite is directly synthesized by mechanically milling the elemental mixture. A possible lithiation and delithiation mechanism for MgS is proposed based on electrochemical and ex-situ XRD studies. The electrochemical reaction of MgS with lithium results in the formation of Li2S and Mg, the as-formed Mg simultaneously reacts with lithium and forms LixMg alloy further contributing to the capacity. A stable reversible capacity of 530 mAh g (1) was achieved after 100 cycles within the voltage window of 0.001-2.5 V. The compatibility of MgS anode was tested in full cell using lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide (LNMC) and lithium iron phosphate (LFP) as cathodes. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.