The hierarchical carbon cloth supported Li4Ti5O12@NiCo2O4 branched nanowire (NW) arrays were fabricated as the flexible, binder-free anode for lithium-ion batteries. The novel composite exhibits greatly improved specific capacity and rate capability as well as excellent cyclic stability compared to carbon cloth supported Li4Ti5O12 NW arrays. The results clearly demonstrate that branched growth of NiCo2O4 NWs on the surface of Li4Ti5O12 NWs on carbon cloth enhances lithium diffusion. The superior electrochemical performance is ascribed to the unique architecture as well as the synergetic effect of good flexibility and high conductivity of carbon cloth, almost zero volume change during charge/ discharge process of Li4Ti5O12, and high capacity and conductivity of NiCo2O4. This novel anode possesses high potential for applications in high-performance, flexible lithium-ion batteries. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.