A compendium of catalysts for the selective coupling of carbon dioxide and epoxides to produce cyclic carbonates: Benchmarking catalysts

The utilization of carbon dioxide (CO2) as a renewable feedstock for the synthesis of cyclic carbonates offers an attractive route for its valorization into value-added products. Over the past three decades, significant advances in catalyst design have enabled high selectivity, improved catalytic efficiency, operation under mild conditions, and enhanced sustainability. This review presents a comprehensive overview of homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysts for the cycloaddition of CO2 with epoxides, with emphasis on their catalytic performance. A systematic comparison of key reaction parameters such as catalyst loading, catalytic efficiency, and operating conditions (such as CO2 pressure and temperature) is provided to establish a framework for benchmarking catalyst systems. Criteria such as catalyst cost and ease/greenness of catalyst synthesis are important as well, however, we are unable to assess these parameters in this report. Covering over 950 reports from the past 25 years, detailed data are compiled in Supplementary Tables categorized as homogenous or heterogenous catalysts. The concept of “best-performing catalysts” is introduced based on these metrics for widely studied epoxides. By addressing the lack of standardized benchmarking, this work aims to guide researchers for future catalyst development and identify promising candidates for potential industrial applications.