Three-dimensional (3D) conductive network electrodes based on commercial nickel foam current collector supported Si nanowires (SiNWs) with carbon coating are evaluated as lithium-ion battery anodes. The Ni foam network current collector achieves a high silicon loading up to 5 mg/cm(2), without using any non-conductive binders. The pressed carbon coated SiNWs-Ni electrode shows outstanding electrochemical performance. It achieves an initial capacity of as high as 2486 mAh/g. A reversible capacity of 1500 mAh/g is still retained even after 50 cycles of charging and discharging. The good performance could be attributed to the 3D Ni-C network current collector structure that provides flexible room to effectively accommodate the volume change of Si nanowires and minimizes loss of electrical contact after long time cycling. The 3D composite network provides a new design principle of robust and scalable lithium-ion battery electrodes that can effectively relieve the significant volume change problem. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.