The formation of damage, which results from the large volume expansion of the active sites during electrochemical cycling, in rechargeable Li-batteries, is modelled from a fracture mechanics viewpoint to facilitate the selection of the most effective electrode materials and configurations. The present study is a first step towards examining stable cracking in such high-energy storage devices, by considering three different configurations at the nanoscale, which are currently at an experimental stage. As a result, stability diagrams concerning crack growth are constructed and compared for the following cases: (a) the electrodes are thin films, (b) the Li-insertion sites in the anode are nanofibre-like inclusions, (c) the active sites in both electrodes are spherical. (c) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.