Synthesis of structurally controlled graphene materials is critical for realizing their practical applications. The electrochemical exfoliation of graphite has emerged as a simple method to produce graphene materials. This review examines research progress in the last 5 years, from 2015 to 2019. Graphene material synthesis methods generally have a trade‐off between increasing production yield and achieving better material property control. The synthesis conditions for synthesizing pristine graphene, graphene oxide (GO), and graphene composites are significantly different. Thus, in this review, we first discuss synthesis methods for graphene materials with high C/O ratios from four aspects: graphite electrodes, equipment engineering, electrolytes, and additional reduction methods. Next, we survey synthesis methods for GO and examine how the pretreatment of the graphite electrodes, electrolytes, and operation parameters, such as applied voltages, electrolyte temperatures, and mechanical forces, affect the quality of GO. Further, we summarize electrochemical exfoliation methods used to dope graphene materials, introduce covalent functional groups, incorporate various nanoparticles, and assembly of graphene architectures. For all synthesis methods, we compare the properties of resulting graphene materials such as C/O ratios, lateral size, layer numbers, and quality characterized by Raman spectroscopy. Lastly, we propose our perspectives on further research. We hope this review stimulates more studies to realize the on‐demand production of graphene materials with desired properties using electrochemical exfoliation methods.

Nitrate is an important nutrient and electron acceptor for microorganisms, having a key role in nitrogen (N) cycling and electron transfer in anoxic sediments. High-nitrate inputs into sediments could have a significant effect on N cycling and its associated microbial processes. However, few studies have been focused on the effect of nitrate addition on the functional diversity, composition, structure and dynamics of sediment microbial communities in contaminated aquatic ecosystems with persistent organic pollutants (POPs). Here we analyzed sediment microbial communities from a field-scale in situ bioremediation site, a creek in Pearl River Delta containing a variety of contaminants including polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), before and after nitrate injection using a comprehensive functional gene array (GeoChip 4.0). Our results showed that the sediment microbial community functional composition and structure were markedly altered, and that functional genes involved in N-, carbon (C)-, sulfur (S)-and phosphorus (P)- cycling processes were highly enriched after nitrate injection, especially those microorganisms with diverse metabolic capabilities, leading to potential in situ bioremediation of the contaminated sediment, such as PBDE and PAH reduction/degradation. This study provides new insights into our understanding of sediment microbial community responses to nitrate addition, suggesting that indigenous microorganisms could be successfully stimulated for in situ bioremediation of POPs in contaminated sediments with nitrate addition.