The type of starch used was hydroxypropylated high amylose cornstarch (70% amylose content). The starch was
purchased from National Starch and Chemicals (Bridgewater, NJ), under the trade name of HYLON 7. The density of
HYLON 7 starch is 1.2 g/cm3. The inherent moisture content of the starch is 11.2% under ambient conditions. Water is
used as the plasticizer as well as the blowing agent. Water content is maintained at 8-10% of the starch used. Talc
(Magnesium Silicate), used as the nucleating agent, was obtained from Luzenac (Englewood, CO). It has a specific gravity
of 2.76 and a bulk density of 150 kg/m3. The talc content was maintained to be 1-2% for all the experiments. Poly
(hydroxyamino ether) (PHAE) is an additive, which offers the adhesion and durability of epoxy resins with the flexibility
and processability of thermoplastic resins.. PHAE was purchased from Dow Chemicals (Midland, MI), under the trade
name BLOX 110. PHAE has a melt temperature of 75°C, and is produced by reacting liquid epoxy resin (LER) with
hydroxy functional dinucleophilic amines and resorcinol diglycidyl ethers (RDGE)[20].