Finely dispersed tin alloy/oxide composites were synthesized via the reduction of tin oxide by aluminum under high-energy ball-milling. The morphology and crystal structure of the resulting samples were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The electrochemical measurements reveal that Sn3Co/Al2O3 composite has higher initial efficiency and better cycle performance than Sn/AlO3. The Sn3Co/Al2O3 composite electrode containing LA132 binder exhibited a reversible capacity about 540 mAh g(-1) with good capacity retention. On the other hand, it is found that the influence of binder type on the electrode performance is remarkable. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.