Ordered Mesoporous Cu–Co Supported on Al2O3 Catalysts for Higher Alcohol Synthesis from Syngas: Effect of Cu/Co Ratio on Structure and Performance

CuCo-based catalysts are promising candidates for higher alcohol synthesis from syngas, yet their performance is often limited by poor metal dispersion and insufficient Cu-Co synergy. In this work, a series of ordered mesoporous CuCoAl catalysts with varying Cu/Co atomic ratios were synthesized via the evaporation-induced self-assembly (EISA) method. The structural, electronic, and catalytic properties were systematically investigated using N2 physisorption, XRD, TEM, H2-TPR, CO-TPD, XPS, and fixed-bed reactor evaluation. The results show that all CuCoAl catalysts prepared by the EISA method possess well-ordered mesoporous structures with high surface areas (up to 235 m2/g) and narrow pore size distributions. The interaction between Cu and Co stabilizes the mesoporous framework, inhibits Cu particle growth, and induces electron transfer from Cu to Co as evidenced by XPS. Among the catalysts tested, Cu1Co1Al (Cu/Co = 1:1) exhibits the highest strong CO adsorption capacity (1.54 mmol/g) and surface hydroxyl content (63.29%), achieving a CO conversion of 32.9% with a C2+ alcohol space–time yield of 20.5 mg·gcat−1·h−1. These findings establish clear structure–performance relationships for ordered mesoporous CuCoAl catalysts and provide fundamental guidance for the rational design of efficient catalysts for higher alcohol synthesis.