Abstract Advanced design and fabrication of high performance sulfur cathodes with improved conductivity and chemical adsorption towards lithium polysulfides (LiPS) are crucial for further development of Li–S batteries. Hence, we designed a TiO₂/Co₃O₄-CNTs composite derived from Ti-MOF (MIL-125) as the host matrix for sulfur cathode. The polar nature of metal oxides (TiO₂, Co₃O₄) creates the adsorptive sites in the composite and leads to an efficient chemical capture of LiPS. The CNTs ensure the contact between S/Li₂S and the host material with high conductivity, enhanced charge transfer and fast electrochemical kinetics. At the same time, the CNTs strengthen the stability of the electrode material. Consequently, the as-prepared TiO₂/Co₃O₄-CNTs composite showed excellent electrochemical performance. The cell with S–TiO₂/Co₃O₄-CNTs delivers an initial specific capacity of 1270 mAh g^–1 at 0.2 C and high rate performance with a capacity of 603 mAh g^–1 at 3 C.