Composite silicon film, which is composed of silicon nanowires, Si-Au eutectic and Si particles as the melding spots, was prepared as anode for lithium ion batteries by a special secondary deposition process with vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) mechanism. Au-Si eutectic particles act as the melding spots between silicon nanowires. An attractive electrochemical performance with 88% of the coulombic efficiency in the first cycle was obtained in the charge-discharge tests. The connection among silicon nanowires by dispersed Si-Au particles is the key factor for the enhancement of its electrochemical reversibility. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.