Synthesis and studies of graphite oxide started more than 150 years ago and turned into a boom by the measurements of the outstanding physical properties of graphene. A series of preparation protocols emanated trying to optimize the synthesis of graphene oxide in order to obtain a less defective material, as source for graphene. However, over‐oxidation of the carbon framework hampered establishing structure‐property relationships. Here, the fact that two different synthetic methods for graphene oxide preparation lead to very similar types of graphene oxide with a preserved graphene lattice is demonstrated. Either sodium chlorate in nitric acid (similar to Brodie's method) or potassium permanganate in sulfuric acid (similar to Hummers’ method) treatment are possible; however, reaction conditions must be controlled. With a preserved carbon lattice analytical differences between the samples relate to the altered on‐plane functionality. Consequently, terming preparation protocols “according to Brodie's/Hummers’ method” is not sufficient.

Sustainable energy storage materials are needed to implement necessary transitions to a more sustainable society. Therefore, we present novel vanillin (and thus ultimately possibly lignin)-derived electrode materials for lithium-ion-based energy storage systems. In the present approach, vanillin is first modified in two sustainable steps to afford bisvanillonitrile (BVN). The precursor materials for the electrodes are made from BVN and carbon black and are subsequently treated in the atmosphere of triflic acid in order to polymerize BVN. Used as a cathode material in a lithium-ion-based energy storage device, the resulting material shows capacities up to 90 mAh g −1 (respective to the whole electrode mass). This extraordinary performance can be attributed to a combination of non-Faradaic and Faradaic charge storage involving quinone units, which are abundantly found in the polymer backbone. In contrast to conventional organic electrode materials, excellent contact to carbon as a conductive additive is established by performing the polymerization in a mixture with carbon (in carbone), allowing the omission of additional unsustainable binder materials. Due to the sustainable synthesis and good performance, such sustainable electrodes may be applied in future energy storage devices.

The new analytical ultracentrifugation setup allows coupling hydrodynamic, thermodynamic and emission properties of nanoparticles and macromolecules.

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The oxidation of graphite may be considered as an art, however, the oxidation of graphite by sodium chlorate (often termed as Brodie's method) and potassium permanganate (often termed as Hummers’ method), respectively, lead to similar materials. For both methods, the carbon framework can be preserved by introducing a “speed limit” for the reaction. The final properties then are determined by the surface functional groups. For more details see the Communication by P. Feicht, S. Eigler et al. on page 8955 ff.