Halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) are considered structurally promising adsorption materials, but their application is limited due to their poor native adsorption properties. Improving the adsorption capacity of HNTs for radioactive U(VI) is of great significance. By controlling the mass ratio of HNTs and dopamine (DA), composite adsorbents (HNTs@PDA) with different polydopamine (PDA) layer thicknesses were synthesized. Characterization of HNTs@PDA demonstrated that the original structure of the HNTs was maintained. Adsorption experiments verified that the adsorption capacity of HNTs@PDA for U(VI) was significantly improved. The effects of solution pH, temperature, and coexisting ions on the adsorption process were investigated. The removal efficiency was observed to be 75% after five repeated uses. The adsorption mechanism of U(VI) by HNTs@PDA can be explained by considering electrostatic interactions and the complexation of C–O, –NH– and C–N/CN in the PDA layer. This study provides some basic information for the application of HNTs for U(VI) removal.

埃洛石纳米管（HNTs）被认为是结构上很有前景的吸附材料，但由于其较差的天然吸附性能，它们的应用受到限制。提高HNTs对放射性U(VI)的吸附能力具有重要意义。通过控制HNTs和多巴胺（DA）的质量比，合成了具有不同聚多巴胺（PDA）层厚度的复合吸附剂（HNTs@PDA）。HNTs@PDA 的表征表明 HNTs 的原始结构得以保持。吸附实验证实HNTs@PDA对U(VI)的吸附能力显着提高。研究了溶液pH、温度和共存离子对吸附过程的影响。重复使用五次后，去除效率为 75%。N 在 PDA 层中。本研究为应用 HNTs 去除 U(VI) 提供了一些基本信息。