Abstract Highly networked nanostructured battery electrode materials offer the possibility of achieving both rapid battery charge–discharge rates and high storage capacity. Recently, lithium ion battery (LIB) electrodes based on a 2-D honeycomb architecture were shown to undergo remarkable and reversible morphological changes during the lithiation process. Charge–discharge rates in 3-D composite electrode have also been shown to benefit from sandwiching the electrolytically active material between highly conductive ion and electron transport pathways to reduce electrical resistance and solid-state diffusion lengths. In the present work we simulate and analyze the observed morphological changes in honeycomb electrodes, with and without the presence of conductive pathways, during the lithiation–delithiation process. Diffusion induced stresses are analyzed for such structures undergoing elastic–plastic deformation during cycling. The results show that such a periodic, nanostructured electrode geometry allows for the presence of buckling-like deformation modes, which effectively reduce the resulting mechanical stresses that lead to electrode failure.