Carbon dioxide can be converted into functional heterocycles known as
cyclic carbonates, whose recent reactivity has been expanded towards the
formation of tailor-made engineering polymers. This minireview gives an
overview of the most topical developments in this area with a special
focus on the synthetic methods employed to prepare these CO2 based
synthons. In addition, their application potential in the area of
polymer science using a variety of polymerization techniques is
discussed that have in common the ring-opening of the carbonate
monomers. Future perspectives are provided that provide impetus for the
scientific communities aligning research to the use of sustainable
processes for polymers from recyclable carbon sources such as CO2.