Carbon-coated Co3O4 microparticles (Co3O4@C) with dendrite-like morphology are prepared by a low-temperature hydrothermal method and subsequent C2H2 chemical vapor deposition (CVD) for the first time. The synthesized precursor Co3O4 has a size of 8-10 lm, which is assembled by lots of aligned Co3O4 wire with 4-5 lm in length. After carbon coating, Co3O4 microparticles were proved to be coated in amorphous carbon of *10 nm. A plausible formation process of the dendrite-like Co3O4 and Co3O4@C is proposed based on the morphology and structure characterizations of the materials. As an anode material for lithium-ion batteries, the Co3O4@C composite electrode exhibits