The promising prospects of the Li/S battery, due to its theoretical energy density of about 2500 Wh kg(-1), are severely limited by two main weaknesses: the poor conductivity of S and the solubility of the polysulphides in the electrolyte. A combination of carbon and transition metal oxides is the best option for mitigating both of these shortcomings simultaneously. In this work, we use hydrothermally-tailored gamma-MnO2 nanorods combined with an activated biomass-derived carbon, which is an inexpensive material and easy to prepare. This strategy was also followed for a AC/MnO2/S composite, a preparation of which was made by grinding; this is the simplest method for practical applications. More complex procedures for the formation of in situ hydrothermal MnO2 nanorods gave similar results to those obtained from grinding. Compared with the AC/S composite, the presence of MnO2 markedly increased the delivered capacity and improved the cycling stability at both low (0.1 C) and high (1 C) currents. This behavior results from a combination of two main effects: firstly, the MnO2 nanorods increase the electrical conductivity of the electrode, and secondly, the small particle size of the oxide can enhance the chemisorption properties and facilitate a redox reaction with polysulphides, more efficiently blocking their dissolution in the electrolyte. (C) 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.