Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) are important nano-fillers in polymer composites. In this paper, enhanced wear properties of nanocomposites were achieved through introducing functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes into hybrid PTFE/cotton fabric composite. Results of characterizations, including Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), revealed that MWCNTs were successfully functionalized and the modification led to an improvement in the dispersion of MWCNTs. The reasons for the enhanced tribological properties of hybrid PTFE/cotton fabric composite were also discussed based on the results of characterizations. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.