The technology of high-energy irradiation is widely used in the field of material interface modification because of its high efficiency, energy conservation and environment friendliness. In this paper, gamma-ray irradiation graft technology was used in order to enhance the surface performance of the carbon fibre (CF). The surface chemical elements and functional groups of untreated and irradiated CF were observed by photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The results show that the value of O/C and the quantity of oxygen functional groups on CF surface were enhanced efficiently after treatment by gamma-ray irradiation graft technology. The morphology of CF was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atom forced microscopy (AFM), respectively. The surface roughness of CF was greatly increased compared with the untreated CF. Moreover, the interface performance was clearly improved after irradiation. (C) 2009 Published by Elsevier B.V.