In this work, we report a new type of anode consisting of mixed detonation nanodiamonds (DNDs) and titanium dioxide (TiO₂) hollow nanospheres (HNSs) for improving the specific capacity of lithium ion batteries (LIBs). Benefiting from the unique characteristics (high lithium adsorption capacity, large specific surface area and chemical inertness) of DNDs and the porous structure of TiO₂ HNSs, the anode plays an important role in realizing remarkable capacity performances (with a capacity of 348.8 mA h g⁻¹ at 0.5C after 100 cycles) and superior long-term cycle stability (with a capacity of 246.3 mA h g⁻¹ at 5C after 800 cycles) of LIBs, which are significantly better than those of the battery with the TiO₂ anode alone. The improvement can be attributed to the enhanced Li⁺ storing capacity and stability of the anode consisting of DNDs and TiO₂ HNS.