A method of making a composition comprising electroactive porous particle fragments, the porous particle fragments comprising an electroactive material selected from the group consisting of silicon, tin, germanium, mixtures thereof and alloys thereof, the method comprising: a) forming porous particles using a method comprising at least one of: i) a solgel formation method; ii) injecting gases into a cooling molten mass comprising the electroactive material or alloy thereof; and iii) etching particles comprising the electroactive material or an alloy thereof; and b) deriving fragments from said porous particles, wherein said fragments are selected from the group consisting of: i) pore-containing porous particle fragments comprising a network of pores, cavities and channels, which pores, cavities and channels are separated and defined by electroactive material-containing walls within the particle structure; ii) fractals comprising a substantially irregular shape or surface morphology derived from the electroactive material originally defining or bounding the pores or network of pores within the porous particles from which the fractals are derived without themselves comprising pores, channels or a network of pores or channels; or iii) fractals having a substantially irregular shape or surface morphology derived from electroactive material originally defining a random or ordered network of linear, branched or layered elongate elements, wherein one or more discrete or interconnected void spaces or channels are defined between the elongate elements of the network. a) forming porous particles using a method comprising at least one of: i) a solgel formation method; ii) injecting gases into a cooling molten mass comprising the electroactive material or alloy thereof; and iii) etching particles comprising the electroactive material or an alloy thereof; and i) a solgel formation method; ii) injecting gases into a cooling molten mass comprising the electroactive material or alloy thereof; and iii) etching particles comprising the electroactive material or an alloy thereof; and b) deriving fragments from said porous particles, wherein said fragments are selected from the group consisting of: i) pore-containing porous particle fragments comprising a network of pores, cavities and channels, which pores, cavities and channels are separated and defined by electroactive material-containing walls within the particle structure; ii) fractals comprising a substantially irregular shape or surface morphology derived from the electroactive material originally defining or bounding the pores or network of pores within the porous particles from which the fractals are derived without themselves comprising pores, channels or a network of pores or channels; or iii) fractals having a substantially irregular shape or surface morphology derived from electroactive material originally defining a random or ordered network of linear, branched or layered elongate elements, wherein one or more discrete or interconnected void spaces or channels are defined between the elongate elements of the network. i) pore-containing porous particle fragments comprising a network of pores, cavities and channels, which pores, cavities and channels are separated and defined by electroactive material-containing walls within the particle structure; ii) fractals comprising a substantially irregular shape or surface morphology derived from the electroactive material originally defining or bounding the pores or network of pores within the porous particles from which the fractals are derived without themselves comprising pores, channels or a network of pores or channels; or iii) fractals having a substantially irregular shape or surface morphology derived from electroactive material originally defining a random or ordered network of linear, branched or layered elongate elements, wherein one or more discrete or interconnected void spaces or channels are defined between the elongate elements of the network.