Iron oxide film with spaced radial nanorods is formed on the VGCF (vapor-grown carbon nanofiber) scaffolds by means of anodic electrodeposition. X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy show that the iron oxide film deposited on the VGCF surface is alpha-Fe2O3 and consists of spaced radial nanorods having 16-21 nm in diameter after annealing at 400 degrees C. Galvanostatic charge/discharge results indicate that the alpha-Fe2O3/VGCF anode (970 mAh g(-1)) has higher capacity than bare alpha-Fe2O3 anode (680 mAh g(-1)) at 10C current discharge. VGCF scaffolds fabricated by electrophoretic deposition favor the electron conduction, and the spaced radial nanorods on VGCFs facilitate the migration of lithium ion from the electrolyte. Electrochemical reactions between alpha-Fe2O3 and lithium ion are therefore improved significantly by this tailored architecture. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.