In this study, ZnO nanorod arrays have been evaluated for the negative electrodes of lithium-ion batteries. The ZnO nanorod arrays with dandelion-like morphology were directly grown on copper substrates by a hydrothermal synthesis process at 80°C. X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, galvanostatic discharge–charge, and cyclic voltammetry were employed to characterize the structure and electrochemical property of the arrays. The array electrodes showed a stable capacity over 310mAhg−1 after 40 cycles, and good capacity retention as the anodes of lithium-ion batteries. It was believed that the unique dandelion-like binary-structure played an important role in the electrochemical performance of the array electrodes. The present finding opens the possibility to fabricate micro/nanometer hierarchical ZnO films that might be applied in lithium-ion batteries.