A rapid and relatively large-scale production of ultrathin TiO2 nanodisks was achieved under mild conditions by developing a novel and simple sol–gel process occurring at the interface of an organic solvent and ice. Owing to the ultrathin structure and unusually high surface area (>400 m2 g−1), the TiO2 nanodisks exhibited high reversible capacity (191.4 mA h g−1 at 0.2 C) and excellent rate performance (58% capacity retention at 20 C) as an anode in lithium ion batteries.​