Research progress in catalytic conversion of CO2 and epoxides based on ionic liquids to cyclic carbonates

CO2 emissions have increasingly serious impacts on the environment. As CO2 itself is a good C1 resource, developing scientific and reasonable CO2 conversion and utilization routes become a common concern of the world. At present, the preparation of cyclic carbonate from CO2 and epoxide is one of the most ideal conversion routes. Cyclic carbonate is not only the raw material of lithium battery production, but also widely used in medicine, chemical industry and other industries. Because of the stability of CO2, the catalytic conversion of CO2 requires the participation of catalysts. Ionic liquids (ILs) as catalysts have the advantages of being designable and functional, and scientists have developed various types of ILs to catalyze the synthesis of cyclic carbonates from CO2 to epoxides with very satisfactory results. This article provides a comprehensive review of the latest research developments in the field of ILs catalyzed conversion of CO2 and epoxides to cyclic carbonates. It meticulously interprets the structure and chemical properties of CO2 and ILs, thoroughly analyzes the reaction mechanisms, and offers profound insights into the challenges encountered in the current reaction processes. Additionally, the article systematically summarizes the synthesis strategies of ILs. Furthermore, it conducts a comprehensive retrospective on the research progress of CO2 and epoxides catalyzed by ILs to synthesize cyclic carbonates and provides a perspective on the future development direction of ILs.