Refractive Index Engineering as a Novel Strategy toward Highly Transparent and Tough Sustainable Pol

• 作 者: Si-Ting Sun Hang Wang Dong Huang Ying-Li Ding Yang Zhang Dong-Po Song Kun-Yu Zhang Li Pan Yue-Sheng Li
• 机 构: Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianji
• 出 处: 高分子科学（英文版）
• 发表日期: 2020年12期
• 关键词: Polylactide Blending strategies Refractive index matching Poly(epichlorohydrin-c

High transparency and toughness are prerequisites for sustainable polymers if they are to find wide application as alternatives to petroleum-based polymers.However,the utility of sustainable polymers such as commercially available polylactide (PLA) is limited by their inherent brittleness and high cost.Unfortunately,toughening PLA-based materials via cost-effective blending strategies without sacrificing transparency remains a challenge.Herein,we report a novel strategy involving active refractive index matching for creation of highly transparent and tough PLA blends.Specifically,we engineered the refractive index of a promising renewable poly(epichlorohydrin-co-ethylene oxide) elastomer by introducing polar ionic moieties via a simple chemical method,and we blended the resulting ionomers with PLA.The best blend showed an impact strength of ＞ 80 kJ/m2,an elongation at break of 400％,and high transparency (90％).These characteristics are of great importance for potential applications such as packaging.Our strategy offers a versatile new way to prepare high-performance sustainable polymer materials with excellent transparency.