Direct Synthesis of Higher Alcohols from Syngas Over Al‐Doped ZnO Semiconductor Catalysts

The direct conversion of syngas into C 2+ OH has attracted significant attention as a potential pathway for energy conversion. However, this process typically requires the use of precious metals or the collaborative action of multi‐component catalysts, making it relatively complex. In this paper, simple and economical Al‐doped ZnO catalysts were employed for the synthesis of C 2+ OH. The results show that the work function, Zn x+, and the relative content of oxygen vacancies are linearly related to C 2+ OH/ROH. When the doping amount was 7 mol%, the catalyst had the highest C 2+ OH/ROH (82.6 wt%), corresponding to the lowest work function value, the highest Zn x+ content, and the relative content of oxygen vacancies. We reveal that the successful synthesis of C 2+ OH depends not only on the low work function of the Al‐doped ZnO but also on the existence of the oxygen vacancies and Zn x+ sites. Specifically, the low work function induced by Al doping facilitates electron transfer in the reaction, facilitating the dissociation of CH x O* into CH x *. Meanwhile, the presence of oxygen vacancies enhances the dissociative adsorption capacity of CO and facilitates the formation of CH x * species. The Zn x+ sites serve as active centers for carbon chain growth, promoting C–C coupling through the insertion of CO or CH x O* into CH x *, thereby achieving chain elongation.