Agglomerate spheric Li 4 Ti 5 O 12 /C nano-composite is synthesized using Ti-(OC 4 H 9 ) 4 , LiAc·2H 2 O and polyvinylpyrrolidone through a hydrothermal-assisted sol-gel reaction and is characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. Test results indicate that compared with the electrochemical performance of bulk Li 4 Ti 5 O 12 , the electrochemical performance of Li 4 Ti 5 O 12 /C has been greatly improved. Li 4 Ti 5 O 12 /C has a high-rate performance of 127.8 mAh g −1 at 20°C and a capacity retention of 146.7 mAh g −1 after 1000 cycles at 5°C. It is therefore concluded that Li 4 Ti 5 O 12 /C nano-composite is a promising candidate for applications in high-rate lithium ion batteries.