Two-dimensional (2D) materials are generally expected to have superior lithium-ion (LIBs) performances compare with their bulk counterpart as they display superior specific surface area. In this context, the development of 2D maghemite would be of great interest owing to its high theoretical specific capacity, natural abundance, and relatively low cost and toxicity; however, maghemite do not have a layered crystalline structure. Herein, to overcome this hindrance, gamma-Fe2O3 has been enclosed within a 2D carbon matrix via a simple and facile synthesis strategy based on the complexation of ethylene glycol with aqueous iron species by hydrolysis and condensation reactions followed by its carbonization. As obtained 2D carbon gamma-Fe2O3 nanosheet composite (C-EG-Fe) is composed of 41.3 wt.% carbon and 10.2 wt.% Fe. When used as anode materials in LIBs, C-EG-Fe demonstrated the enhanced initial discharge capacity of 1589 mAh g(-1) at 100 mA g(-1), and outstanding ultralong cycling performance with the significant stable capacity of 700 mAh g(-1) and 230 mAh g(-1) at the higher current rate of 0.5 A g(-1) and 10 A g(-1) for more than 300 and 6000 cycles, respectively. These results enable a promising avenue to design the large-scale production of 2D C-EG-Fe sheets-based nanostructured anode materials for next-generation LIBs for largescale energy storage applications. (C) 2021 The Korean Society of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.