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Due to the nonrenewable nature of coal and uncompetitive market value, developing advanced FTS techniques for industrialization remains one of the research frontiers in heterogeneous catalysis. In this review, we present a brief introduction of the reaction pathways that directly convert syngas to olefins/aromatics via Fischer-Tropsch synthesis. Based on the mechanism of olefin formation, four key factors controlling the nature of catalyst functions were reviewed, including active metal/phase, transition metal promoter, alkali promoter, and catalyst support, for improving olefins or aromatics selectivity, while the photocatalytic form as a novel reaction system is also introduced. In the last part, we discussed the challenges in improving product selectivity and catalyst stability, the strategy in catalyst design and catalytic system from a new perspective, the method for understanding the relationship between catalyst …