Carbon nanotubes (CNTs)-templated metal phthalocyanines (MPc) (M = Mn(II), Fe(II), Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II), Zn(II)) assemblies (CNTs-CONH-MPc) were synthesized and characterized by IR, XRD, SEM, XPS. The lithium-thionyl chloride (Li/SOCl2) cells using CNTs-CONH-MPc as catalysts showed excellent performance, which the capacities increased by 15.44-88.49%, and the initial voltages improved to 3.09-3.22 V. The sequence of the electrochemical catalytic performance of CNTs-CONH-MPc was ranked by central metal ion: Co > Ni > Mn > Fe > Cu > Zn. Based on cyclic voltammetry measurements, the reasonable mechanism is proposed and the role of catalyst is verified. The modified CNTs by MPc greatly promoted the electronic transmission, which significantly improved the performance and the initial voltage of Li/SOCl2 battery. (C) 2017 The Electrochemical Society. All rights reserved.