A facile approach to introduce carboxyl groups onto the surface of CdSe quantum dots (QD) was achieved via oleic acid ligands self-assembly, and then CdSe quantum dots/epoxy fluorescence nanocomposites were successfully fabricated. The surface constitution of QD, the better dispersibility of QD in epoxy matrix, and the reactivity with epoxy of carboxyl groups functionalized QD were characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), respectively. As the result of surface modification, the carboxyl groups functionalized QD could be stably and homogenously dispersed in chloroform and acid anhydride cured epoxy matrix. The fresh fluorescence as well as the toughening behavior of the QD/epoxy nanocomposites was presented. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.