MgH2 has been considered as a potential anode material for Li ion batteries due to its low cost and high theoretical capacity. However, it suffers from low electronic conductivity and slow kinetics for hydrogen sorption at room temperature that results in poor reversibility, cycling stability and rate capability for Li ion storage. This work presents a MgH2 -TiF3@CNT based Li ion battery anode manufactured via a conventional slurry based method. Working with a liquid electrolyte at room temperature, it achieves a high capacity retention of 543 mAh g(-1) in 70 cycles at 0.2 C and an improved rate capability, thanks to the improved hydrogen sorption kinetics with the presence of catalytic TiF3. Meanwhile, the first realization of Na ion uptake in MgH2 has been evidenced in experiments. (C) 2018 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.