The one-dimensional MoS2/carbon nanofibers (1D MoS2/CNFs) are synthesized by electrospinning using exfoliated MoS2 nanosheets and polyacrylonitrile as raw materials. The exfoliated MoS2 nanosheets with size of about 150 nm are encapsulated in carbon nanofibers, and the free-standing MoS2/CNFs can be easily cut into flexible tablet and directly used as binder-free anode for lithium storage. The resultant 1D MoS2/CNFs exhibit a very high reversible capacity of 700 mAh g-1 at 100 mA g-1 after 50 cycles, high rate capacity (450 mAh g-1 at 1000 mA g-1 after 200 cycles) and good cycle stability.