 Nano-sized 0.3Li2MnO3·0.7LiNi1/3Mn1/3Co1/3O2 as novel cathode material was synthesized by a hydrothermal process with carbon nanotubes as template. The resulting 0.3Li2MnO3·0.7LiNi1/3Mn1/3Co1/3O2 material showed excellent electrochemical performance, and the LR-1.0 sample had the best cycling stability and rate capability. When the LR-1.0 sample was tested as a cathode at 0.1 and 2.0 C, its initial discharge capacities can reach up to 267.0 and 146.6 mAh g−1, respectively. The discharge capacity retention of 93.3 % at 0.1 C can be achieved after 50 cycles. The electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurement revealed that the charge transfer resistance was only 205.3 Ω. These results indicated that the 0.3Li2MnO3·0.7LiNi1/3Mn1/3Co1/3O2 prepared by this method was a new promising cathode material for lithium ion batteries.