The stress changes Δσ generated during lithium transport through the sol–gel derived Li x Mn2O4 film electrodes annealed at 773 and 873K were quantitatively determined as a function of the lithium stoichiometry x using a laser beam deflection method (LBDM). Δσ generated during a real potential step between an initial electrode potential and a final applied potential was uniquely specified by the Δσ versus x curve. The Li x Mn2O4 film annealed at 773K for 24h (low temperature (LT)-Li x Mn2O4) showed larger capacity than the Li x Mn2O4 film annealed at 873K for 6h (high temperature (HT)-Li x Mn2O4) and this result is ascribed to the fact that the smaller the grain size is, the more increases the electrochemically active area of the film electrode. From the analysis of the normalised Δσ transient measured simultaneously along with the cyclic voltammogram in the potential range of 2.5–3.4 V Li / L i + , it is found that normalised Δσ generated in the LT-Li x Mn2O4 was smaller than that in the HT-Li x Mn2O4 during the lithium intercalation/de-intercalation around 3.0 V Li / L i + region. This result gives an experimental evidence for the fact that the Jahn–Teller distortion is suppressed by the increase in the average oxidation state of manganese with decreasing in annealing temperature.