Halloysite Nanotubes Functionalized with Naphthalene Diimide and Peptide Nucleic Acid Derivatives: Toward Multifunctional Nanomaterials

he development of multifunctional nanomaterials is anarea of growing interest, particularly for systems that integrate opticaland molecular recognition capabilities. Halloysite nanotubes (HNTs)provide a versatile platform for functionalization owing to their uniquetubular structure and distinct inner and outer surface chemistry. In thisstudy, we report the synthesis and characterization of HNTs-basednanomaterials functionalized with naphthalene diimide derivatives(NDIs) and peptide nucleic acid (PNA). NDIs were covalentlyanchored onto the external surface of HNTs to enhance their solubilityand photophysical properties, while a model PNA sequence wasincorporated to explore the suitability of NDI-functionalized HNTs asan efficient platform for the delivery of molecular probes. Thesynthesized nanomaterial was thoroughly characterized throughmorphological (HAADF/STEM), spectroscopic (UV−vis, fluorescence, FT-IR), and thermal (TGA) analyses. The results confirmthe successful functionalization of HNTs, demonstrating the tunability of their optical properties and the effective integration of thePNA. This study provides insights into the engineering of hybrid nanomaterials with potential applications in molecular recognition,sensing, and advanced material design.