Abstract: Transition metal oxide MnO₂ has great potential in battery storage because of its simple preparation process, abundant reserves, environmental protection and high theoretical specific capacity. In this paper, MnO₂ nanosheets were prepared by exfoliating the hydrothermally synthesized δ-MnO₂ by the swelling method. The Ag/MnO₂ composites were obtained by loading Ag nanoparticles on the surface of MnO₂ nanosheets under UV irradiation and NaBH₄ reduction. The structure and morphology of Ag/MnO₂ composites were characterized and their electrochemical properties were tested. The results show that the electrochemical performance of Ag/MnO₂ as anode material for lithium ion batteries is obviously better than that of the pure phase δ-MnO₂. The first reversible specific capacity of Ag/MnO₂ at the current density of 100 mA/g reaches 1001.1 mA·h/g, and the coulombic efficiency is 79.9%. At the current density of 0.1, 0.2, 0.5, 1.0 and 2.0 A/g, the average reversible specific capacity is 936.3, 607.5, 429.5, 351.1 and 278 mA·h/g, respectively. When the current density returns to 0.1 A/g, the average reversible specific capacity can still reach 658.7 mA·h/g. The improvement of the electrochemical performance of Ag/MnO₂ is attributed to the fact that the uniformly loaded conductive Ag particles significantly enhance the electrical conductivity of the electrode material, which is conducive to the transport of charged particles. In addition, the nano-structure of Ag/MnO₂ composites shortens the transport path of lithium ions in the solid phase, thus increasing the diffusion rate of lithium ions.