Energy materials are the materials used in development, transportation, storage and utilization of energy. Rechargeable lithium ion batteries materials are the best developed and applied energy materials. The performance of a battery greatly depends on the choice and optimization of electrode materials. This article reviews the research advances in new electrode materials for lithium ion batteries at the School of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Shanghai University. These include tin oxides nano-particles, tin oxides/carbon nanocomposites, nano carbon materials, carbon coated LiFePO₄ cathode materials, CoO/carbon nanocomposites, and NiO/graphene nanocomposites. The development trend of these materials is summarized.