The electrochemical behavior of partially oxidized graphite electrodes coated with 50 ˚A thick Au, Cu, In,Pb or Sn layers has been studied by slowscan rate cyclic voltammetry and galvanostatic charge–discharge. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) has also been applied to Cu- and Sn-coated electrodes in order to study the effect of the metal coating on the interfacial intercalation/deintercalation kinetics.The results demonstrate that certain metallic layers produce remarkable improvements of intercalation kinetics of graphite electrodes by reducing the charge-transfer and the solid–electrolyte interface (SEI) resistance making this type of surface modification attractive for the development of high rate anodes for lithium-ion batteries.