Vapor-grown carbon nanofiber (VGCF) was functionalized by the covalent bonding of polylactide (PLA) in order to generate a composite known as PLA-g-VGCF. This is a multiple step process and does not produce the same composites as regular melt compounding (VGCF/PLA). This new composite was characterized by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, TGA and TEM in order to quantify and qualify the newly prepared composites, which showed 'remarkable improvement' over the melt ...