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A series of porous poly(ionic liquid)s (PILs) were synthesized using an innovative method which involves the synthesis of a non-ionic co-polymer of divinylbenzene and vinylimidazole, followed by an alkylation step to introduce the Io nic Liquid functionality in the polymeric matrix. This synthetic strategy allowed to obtain tuneable imidazolium type PILs having simultaneously high surface area and exposed ionic moieties. A set of PILs was obtained changing systematically the alkyl chains, the anions and the cross-link degree. This approach allowed to elucidate the effect of each synthetic variable on the catalytic performances of PILs towards carbon dioxide cycloaddition reaction in very mild conditions (room temperature and low pressure). Finally, in-situ FTIR spectroscopy allowed to establish a relation between structure of PILs and their catalytic properties.