The flower-like Co3O4 particles with three-dimensional structure have been achieved by inheriting the flower-like framework of beta-Co(OH)(2) particles fabricated by a facile solvothermal method without any surfactant. The obtained Co3O4 microflower, which was composed of large amounts of self-assembled porous ultrathin nanosheets, exhibited excellent electrochemical performances in terms of high specific capacity and good cycle stability when being evaluated as anode materials for lithium-ion battery. Specifically, a high reversible capacity of above 1100 mA h g(-1) was achieved after 50 cycles at the current density of 296 mA g(-1). Hierarchical flower-like structure with mesoporous was considered as providing more active sites for Li+ insertion and paths for transport of Li+, which led to faster lithium-ion diffusion. Co3O4 porous flower-like nanostructures possessed significant potential application in energy storage systems.