LiV3O8 is a very promising cathode material for lithium secondary batteries. An EDTA-sol-gel method was proposed for the first time to obtain LiV3O8 at low temperature. LiAc center dot 2H(2)O, NH4VO3 and EDTA were used as raw materials to prepare the precursor, and then the precursor was sintered to obtain the layered structure of LiV3O8. The effect of sintering temperature and duration on the quality of LiV3O8 was investigated. We also tested the electrochemical performances of LiV3O8 obtained through the method. The sample heated at 550 degrees C for 15 h has a single-phase layered structure and it has a first cycle discharge capacity of 251.7 mA h g(-1) at the range of 1.8-3.6 V at 0.1 mA and an average capacity decay rate of 0.43% per cycle after 30 cycles. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.