Spherical nano Sn encapsulated pyrolytic polyacrylonitrile composite anode material was prepared for Li-ion batteries. The preparation started with the dissolution of SnCl2 and polyacrylonitrile (PAN) in dimethylformamide (DMF) solution, followed by the reduction of Sn using KBH4. The composite was obtained by the pyrolysis of the Sn/PAN mixture at 300 degrees C. The TEM analysis showed that about 20-40 nm spherical Sn particles were embedded by the pyrolytic PAN. The as-prepared composite presented good cycleability for lithium storage with high initial Coulombic efficiency of 71%. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.