We report a covalent functionalization of graphene nanoparticles (GnPs) employing
2,3,4-Tri-O-acetyl-β-D-xylopyranosyl azide followed by fabrication of an epoxy/functionalized
graphene nanocomposite and an evaluation of its thermo-mechanical performance.
Successful functionalization of GnP was confirmed via thermal and spectroscopic
study. Raman spectroscopy indicated that the functionalization was on the edge of the
graphene sheets; the basal plane was not perturbed as a result of the functionalization.
The epoxy/functionalized GnP composite system exhibited an increase in flexural modulus
(~18%) and glass transition temperature (~10°C) compared to an un-functionalized
GnP based epoxy composite.