Transition-metal oxides are of interest as anode materials for rechargeable lithium batteries. Electrospinning of polymeric gels, containing polymethylmethacrylate and manganese acetate, was successfully used to form manganese oxide nanofibers. These 100-300 nm fibers, after polymer removal, contain 20-25 nm oxide grains and show excellent electrochemical behavior in lithium cells. Their capacity on reaction with lithium exceeded 450 mAh/g for 50 cycles at 0.5 mA/cm(2). (c) 2006 The Electrochemical Society.