A porous silicon-carbon anode on a lightweight carbon fiber current collector is reported here for lithium-ion batteries. This Si-C anode was synthesized through a one-step carbonization of a Si-poly(acrylonitrile-co-methyl acrylate) precursor, which was directly deposited on a carbon fiber mat. The carbon fiber curent collector allows higher loading of active materials, resulting in high energy to mass and area ratios. The obtained Si-C electrode demonstrated superior overall capacity, cyclability, and rate capacity. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.