SnO 2 is known as a promising anode candidate for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), but suffers from the low electrical conductivity and severe volume variation during cycling, which restraint its practical applications. To solve these issues, we successfully fabricated the three-dimensional structure of carbon obtained from corn stalks and SnO 2 composites. The materials exhibit excellent electrochemical performance. After 100 cycles, it shows a reversible capacity of 691 mA h g À 1 at a current density of 0.2 C. Excellent cycle performance is due to the unique structure, which has a strong internal chemical bond between the SnO 2 nanoparticles (SnO 2 NPs) and the carbon skeleton, preventing SnO 2 NPs from falling off the 3D network during the cycle. This work may provide a broader vision into synthesising C-SnO 2 composites for high-performance anode materials of LIBs.