Nanocomposites are a class of material that have been generating increasing amounts of interest in recent years. The combination of nano-sized particulates within a virgin material can enhance its properties dramatically and has the potential of improving the performance of the system. As it is believed that the key to nanocomposite behaviour manifests itself within the nanoparticle-matrix interface, it is of great importance to study how changing the surface chemistry can aid nanophase dispersion and affect the material characteristics. This project sets out to use a range of techniques, including confocal Raman spectroscopy, infrared spectroscopy,dielectric spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy to investigate how differently functionalised nanoparticles can change the electrical and optical properties of a nanodielectric system.