Nitridated Si–Ti–Ni (STN) ternary alloy as an anode for lithium ion batteries is prepared by the NH3 nitridation of STN alloy. The nitridated STN electrode shows 14% increased reversible capacity and 4 times higher rate capability at 3 C compared to those of pristine STN electrode. These improvements are attributed to the formation of nitride compounds (such as SiN x /SiN x O y , TiN x /TiN x O y and NiN x /NiN x O y ) on STN alloy, which benefits both mechanics and kinetics.