Preparation and characterization of kaolin/starch foam

The objective of this work was to study the effect of the kaolin content on the properties of starch foams. The kaolin/starch foams were made with kaolin contents that ranged from 0 to 15 m% by baking in a hot mold. The starch and kaolin/starch foams were stored at room temperature with a relative humidity (RH) of 55% for 7 days prior to testing. An increase in the kaolin content increased the foam density. The izod impact strength increased up to 1151.37 J/m2 at the highest kaolin content (15 m%). The improvement was about five times the izod impact strength of pure starch foam. Moreover, the presence of any kaolin reduced the water absorption ability of the starch foam. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that kaolin increased the size of the starch foam cells and was itself well dispersed. Kaolin/starch foams showed a higher thermal stability than pure starch foam.