Sn/Cu nanowire composite film was electrodeposited on copper foil substrates and used as an anode material for lithium-ion batteries. The structure of the obtained composite film anode was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The electrochemical performance was evaluated by cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic cycling and impedance spectroscopy. It was found that the Sn/Cu nanowire composite film anode showed a better cycle stability than Sn film anode, whereas the Sn/CNT composite film anode indicated poor capacity retention. It could be deduced that copper nanowire reinforced the Sn film anode due to the better wetting property of Sn on the surface of copper and reduced the loss of electric contact among tin particles in the Sn/Cu nanowire composite film anode. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.