Abstract
Carbon materials have agglomeration tendency because of high van der Wall force of interaction among the carbon particles. This agglomeration tendency has been an obstacle for their application in different fields. In order to reduce this agglomeration tendency and to explore their application areas, different surface modification/functionalization processes have been successfully developed by researchers. Surface functionalization reduces the agglomerating tendency of carbon materials and increases the carbon-polymer interfacial adhesion through covalent or ionic bonds. This chapter aims to depict an overview on the different types of surface functionalization techniques applied to different carbon materials like carbon blacks (CB), carbon nanotubes (CNTs), carbon nanofibers (CNFs), graphenes, and fullerenes. The methodology like wet oxidation (oxidation using nitric acid, sulfuric acid, hydrogen peroxide, potassium permanganate, etc.), dry oxidation (oxidation with air, ozone, plasma, etc.), amidation, silanization, silylation, polymer grafting, polymer wrapping, surfactant adsorption, and encapsulation have been presented with different examples. All the functionalization processes have been highlighted with their specific application. The gathering of different functionalization processes in this chapter will provide deep understanding regarding the selection of a particular technique for specific application.