Our growing population, development, and increasing energy demands will strain the environment in the coming decades, necessitating breakthroughs in sustainable energy generation and storage. State-of-the-art lithium-ion batteries face significant challenges, including limited lithium resources, safety issues, and electrochemical performance nearing theoretical limits. Novel rechargeable batteries, such as magnesium-ion batteries, present promising alternatives due to their material abundance and improved safety. However, persistent issues like slow charging and electrode (cathode) incompatibility require the development of improved cathode materials and strategies to mitigate unwanted interactions between battery components, ensuring high-performance energy storage systems. New research on composite materials, particularly carbon-based ones, offers a promising avenue for advancing battery technology. Graphene and its derivative, reduced graphene oxide (rGO), are of particular interest due to their excellent conductivity, large surface area, and ability to enhance electrode performance. Additionally, optimizing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) for electron and hole transport involves synthesizing derivatives with tailored electronic properties. Pyrene, a PAH known for its electron-donating characteristics, can be functionalized to create pyrene quinones, building blocks for other fused-ring polyaromatic compounds. Quinones, with their multi-electron redox activity, high energy density, and electrochemical stability, are ideal candidates for cathode materials. Pyrene-4,5,9,10-tetraone (PTO) stands out as a quinone with all four carbonyl positions available for redox activity, enabling the uptake of four electrons (e.g., from two Mg atoms) at a high operating voltage with a theoretical capacity of 409 mAh g⁻¹. This study harnesses PTO’s unique redox properties by developing synthetic strategies for its derivatives to serve as porous cathode materials for magnesium-ion batteries. These materials are designed to trap and release electrons efficiently during charge-discharge cycles. A green chemistry component of this work involves the development of a cost-effective, environmentally friendly synthetic route for highly brominated PTO derivatives, such as 1,3,6,8-tetrabromo- and 1,2,3,6,7,8-hexabromo-pyrenetetraone (TBPT and HBPT, respectively). Unlike traditional methods that rely on expensive and hazardous reagents like sodium periodate (NaIO₄) and ruthenium trichloride (RuCl₃·xH₂O), our approach uses readily available, inexpensive starting materials, significantly reducing the environmental footprint of the synthesis process. Looking forward, this research provides opportunities to integrate additional green chemistry principles to enhance sustainability further. For example, designing scalable, solvent-free processes or employing renewable feedstocks could improve the eco-friendliness of these materials. The resulting pyrenetetraone derivatives represent critical intermediates for synthesizing extended polyaromatic systems and contribute to the broader goal of creating high-performance, sustainable energy storage solutions.