▎ 摘　　要

2D graphene and its derivatives are used as potent high strength filler materials contributing in the enhanced mechanical properties of resulting polymer composites. However, the full potential of these filler reinforcement materials has not been explored yet due to the weak interface interactions between the filler and polymer matrix. Various functionalities can be introduced during the synthesis of graphene to improve interface interactions but strong covalent bonding between the filler and matrix is still a nascent area. Present report proposes a new route to covalently attach 2D graphene oxide (GO) sheets with poly allylamine (PAA) resulting in a multifold improvement in the mechanical performance of PAA. A theoretical study in this work has been performed to identify possible functionalities on GO sheet and bonding with PAA. The study has proposed a possible route of covalent amide bond linkage of -COOH groups (at GO edges) with free -NH2 (groups on PAA polymer). The molecular dynamics model has shown enhancement in mechanical properties of the resulting composite. Next in the experimental synthesis, GO has been covalently attached to PAA through covalent amide bonding between of -COOH group (on GO) with -NH(2)group (on PAA) using 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethyl aminopropyl) carbodiimide hydrochloride (EDC)/N-Hydroxysuccinimide (NHS) chemistry. The chemical bonds in the synthesized samples were characterized using FTIR and UV-vis spectroscopy. Mechanical properties of the composite samples have been studied using nanoindentation technique. The proposed scheme has great potential of enhancing the mechanical performance of other polymers through covalent cross-linking.