Halloysite nanotubes (HNTs), which are natural nanomaterials, have a hollow tubular structure. HNTs loaded with thyme essential oil (TO) have been investigated as functional nanocapsules. TO was encapsulated successfully in HNT using vacuum pulling methods, followed by end-capping and layer-by-layer (LbL) surface coating process for complete encapsulation. In this study, we investigated the effect of LbL structure on release rate of TO. Firstly, scanning electron microscope (SEM) and transmittance electron microscope (TEM) were used to characterize the morphology and nanocapsules and to confirm the TO loading of the nanocapsules. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) were used to complete the structural information. The amount of encapsulated TO and released amount of TO with time were determined using a gas chromatography (GC). The results reveal that the release properties of TO in these nanocapsules could be controlled by surface modifications such as end-capping and/or surface coating of bare nanocapsules. The TO-loaded HNT capsules showed strong antibacterial activity for about 10 d. As a result, the release rate of TO can be controlled depending on the number of polymer layers. Keywords : Holloysite nanotubes(HNTs), Thyme essential oil(TO), release rate, end-capping, layer-by-layer(LbL)