Bioinspired hierarchical-pore anchoring strategy advancing synergistic photocatalytic-mechanical properties

Photocatalyst with complicated 3D structures for force resistance has aroused extensive attention to solve agglomeration and recyclability, and flexible fabrication can be effectively realized by catalyst anchoring. Here, a novel MoS₂ @Cu(OH)₂ composite was inspired by Green Hairstreak wings for the enhanced photocatalytic and mechanical properties while the interface capacity of MoS₂ was controlled after printing the bio-structural metamaterial of minimal surface. The hierarchical pore structure of the macroscopic framework, mesoscopic pore optimization and microscopic nanoneedles achieved high porosity of 81.42% and a specific surface area of up to 89.34 m² g⁻¹ for abundant anchor sites. Compared with pure MoS₂, the photodegradation efficiency of the MoS₂ on Diamond support increased by 1.4 times because the constructed heterojunctions enhanced the separation efficiency of photogenerated electron-hole pairs. The 3D structural photocatalytic metamaterial maintained an ideal efficiency of 85.42% after recycling ten times. An ultra-high strength of 54.07 MPa was obtained from Diamond support with a modulus of 5.28 GPa. And the simulation of light irradiation proved that the minimal surface structure would not block the light path to the catalyst surface. The proposed strategy offers a new perspectivity of efficient coupling photocatalysts and minimal surface support for large-scale industrial applications.