The preparation Of SnO2 nanotubes with coaxially grown carbon nanotube overlayers with good conformal control of shape and size is reported. The SnO2-core/carbon-shell nanotubes (see Figure) are excellent reversible lithium-ion storage compounds combining the best features of carbon (for cyclability) and SnO2 (for capacity). These structures deliver high specific capacity (similar to 540-600 mA h g(-1)) and good cyclability (0.0375% capacity loss per cycle).