We report studies of the electrochemical behavior of the Si-M-C (M could be TiN, TiB2, graphite) composites, which were prepared from ballmilling silicon with the relatively inactive components and further followed a pyrolyzed poly(vinyl chloride) process. As lithium hosts, these composites showed large capacities of ca. 900 mAh g(-1) and good capacity retention. Research reveals that both the high-energy mechanical milling step and pyrolysis reaction play a key role in alleviating the morphology stress arising from silicon during cycling. A possible capacity decay mechanism with respect to such anode systems has also been investigated and discussed. (C) 2004 The Electrochemical Society.