Although polymers are very important and vastly used materials, their physical properties are limited. Therefore, they are reinforced with fillers to relieve diverse restrictions and expand their application areas. The exceptional properties of graphene make it an interesting material with huge potential for application in various industries and devices. The interfacial interaction between graphene and the polymer matrix improved the uniform graphene dispersion in the polymer matrix, enhancing the general nanocomposite performance. Therefore, graphene functionalization is essential to enhance the interfacial interaction, maintain excellent properties, and obstruct graphene agglomeration. Many studies have reported that graphene/polymer nanocomposites have exceptional properties that enable diverse applications. The use of graphene/polymer nanocomposites is expected to increase sustainably and to transform from a basic to an advanced material to offer optimum solutions to industry and consumers.

Graphene manufactured by the existing method (e.g., chemical oxidation) has limitations in application due to various disadvantages. Functionalized graphic nanoplates manufactured by mechanochemical reactions can solve physical and chemical defects. So, butadiene graphitic nanoplatelets (BDGNs) are first synthesized with solid graphite and butadiene gas by using a mechanochemical reaction. The product BDGNs have outstanding properties, including very good dispersion in common organic solvents (i.e., toluene), and can be used as a reinforcing filler for poly(styrene-co-butadiene) (PSB) because of their chemical affinity to butadiene units. BDGN/PSB_X (BDGN loading [X] = 0.2, 0.5, 1, or 2 wt.%) nanocomposites are readily prepared using a solution process. In result, the tensile strength and Young's modulus of the BDGN/PSB_0.5 nanocomposites increased by approximately 27.9% and 81.4%, respectively, compared with those of pure PSB. Because of the efficient load transfer from the PSB to the BDGNs through the good distribution and affinity of the BDGNs in the PSB, as well as the physical cross-linking points of the BDGNs. Therefore, a mechanochemical reaction can form in situ a variety of graphitic nanoplatelets (GnPs) without additional reaction as a filler that has remarkable affinity with various polymers, including copolymers.

Hexene-functionalized graphitic nanoplatelets (He- f-GN) were easily prepared using a mechanochemical reaction between solid graphite and liquid 1-hexene. The He- f-GN exhibited outstanding properties (e.g., high specific surface area, high crystallinity and so on) and could be well distributed in various solvents including formic acid. The He- f-GN/Nylon 6_X nanocomposites were simply prepared using the solution method, and showed excellent mechanical properties and thermal stability compared with the neat Nylon 6. Specifically, the tensile strength and Young’s modulus of the He- f-GN/Nylon 6_1 nanocomposites increased by approximately 32.5% and 33.7%, respectively, compared to the neat Nylon 6 due to the special properties of the He- f-GN and its excellent compatibility with Nylon 6 chains. The He- f-GN also acts as nucleation sites, increasing the crystallinity of Nylon 6, and generated hydrogen bonds with the amide groups of the Nylon 6. The new filler, He- f-GN, provides an effective way to increase the performance of polymer, demonstrating good application prospects.

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