A novel 3D porous Si-O-C/Ni thick film anode is successfully prepared by electrodeposition of porous Ni on Cu substrate and galvanostatical electrodeposition of Si-O-C composite on porous Ni substrate. The 3D porous Si-O-C/Ni thick film is electrochemically activated at a current density of 50 mu A cm(-2) for the first cycle and 200 mu A cm(-2) (0.5 C) for the subsequent cycles, it displays superior electrochemical performance with discharge capacity of 706.3 mAh g(-1) of Si after 100 cycles. The properties of this thick film is analyzed by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and scanning transmission electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray analyzer (STEM-EDX). The results show that Si-O-C composite not only covers the surface area of porous Ni but also attaches to the highly porous dendritic walls, along with the porous structure of Ni which provides proper accommodation for the volume change of silicon during the lithiation/delithiation processes, are believed to result in the high capacity and excellent cyclability. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.