Three-dimensional (3D) porous materials of Sn-Ni alloy with reticular structure were prepared by electroplating using copper foam as current collector. The structure and electrochemical performance of the electroplated 3D porous Sn-Ni alloys were investigated in detail. Experimental results illustrated that the 3D porous Sn-Ni alloy consists of mainly Ni3Sn4 phase with a hexagonal structure. Galvonostatic charging/discharging of annealed 3D porous Sn-Ni alloy confirmed its excellent performances: at 50th charge-discharge cycle, the discharge specific capacity is 505 mAh g(-1) and the corresponding charge (delithiation) specific capacity is 501 mAh g(-1), yielding columbic efficiency as high as 99%. It has revealed that the porous structure of the alloy can restrain the pulverization of electrode in charge/discharge cycles, and accommodate partly the volume expansion and phase transition, resulting in a significant improvement of cycle life of the Sn-Ni electrode. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.