A series of micro-sized TiO 2 materials with different morphologies were synthesized via pyrolysis of spray-dried precursors, which were obtained via tetrabutyl titanate (TBT) hydrolysis reaction. The pH value of the precursor sol and its TBT content significantly influenced the morphology of the synthesized TiO 2 materials but showed little effect on the improvement of lithiation-delithiation capacity. The carbon coating effect on the electrochemical performance improvement depended on the morphology of the synthesized TiO 2 particles. Carbon-coated TiO 2 bowls with a large thickness (1.18 μm) provide an initial Li + insertion capacity of 310 mAh g −1 at a cut-off voltage of 1 V vs. Li + /Li, which is much higher than the carbon-coated TiO 2 bowls with a small thickness (0.62 μm, capacity: 22 mAh g −1 ). Carbon-coated TiO 2 bowls with a small thickness can be activated via lithiation-delithiation cycling between 0 and 3 V.