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.

高透明性和韧性是可持续聚合物的先决条件，如果它们能广泛用作石油基聚合物的替代品。但是，可持续聚合物如市售聚丙交酯（PLA）的实用性受到其固有的脆性和高成本的限制。不幸的是，在不牺牲透明度的情况下，通过具有成本效益的混合策略来增韧基于PLA的材料仍然是一个挑战。在本文中，我们报告了一种涉及主动折射率匹配的新型策略，用于创建高度透明和坚韧的PLA共混物。具体来说，我们设计了一种有前途的可再生的聚（表氯醇-共-环氧乙烷）弹性体的折射率通过引入极性离子部分经由一种简单的化学方法，然后将所得离聚物与PLA混合。最好的共混物显示出> 80 kJ / m ²的冲击强度，400％的断裂伸长率和高透明度（90％）。这些特征对于诸如包装的潜在应用非常重要。我们的策略提供了一种通用的新方法来制备具有出色透明度的高性能可持续性聚合物材料。