Iron particles confined in carbon nanotube (CNT) channels have been used as a catalyst for the direct conversion of syngas to light olefins.Compared with iron catalysts supported on other materials such as Silica-1,SBA-15 and carbon black,the CNT-confined catalyst exhibits a higher CO conversion and selectivity to the light olefins.This can be attributed to the CNT channels,which provide a unique confinement environment for iron particles.