Dispersion of Rh–WxC nanocomposites on carbon nanotubes by one-pot carburization for synthesis of higher alcohols from syngas

•Rh–WxC/CNT is prepared for the synthesis of higher alcohols from syngas.•Rh–WxC/CNT shows enhanced performance and stability.•Integrating CNTs and WxC effectively inhibits the sintering of Rh species.•The anchoring effect deduced by CNTs improves the catalyst activity and durability.