Smoking article with nicotine transfer prevention and aerosol generating system including the same

Abstract

The present invention relates to a smoking article in which the nicotine transfer phenomenon is prevented, the smoking article including a pH-adjusted medium part and a paper segment containing an absorbing / releasing material, and an aerosol generating system including the same. The smoking article is characterized in that the pH-adjusted medium part allows for non-heating nicotine transfer, and the paper segment containing the absorbing / releasing material prevents the nicotine transfer phenomenon, shortening the harmonization period, thereby ensuring a stable storage life.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a smoking article in which nicotine transfer is prevented and an aerosol generating system including the same. [Background technology]

[0002] Recently, many smoking articles have been proposed that are heated rather than combusted. Unlike conventional smoking articles, these non-combustion smoking articles are used by inhaling the aerosol generated by heating the tobacco medium without burning it. One type of such heated smoking article is a smoking article that uses electrical heating.

[0003] The pH of the medium of the smoking article can be adjusted to produce volatile free nicotine, allowing nicotine to be transferred without heating.

[0004] In this regard, when the medium of the smoking product has an acidic pH, non-heating nicotine migration is difficult, and when it has an alkaline pH, non-heating nicotine migration is increased, but it is highly volatile, and over time nicotine migration occurs not only in the stick material but also in the inner liner and packaging materials such as the box paper. Nicotine migration in smoke is greatly affected by nicotine transferred to materials in the stick, so nicotine transferred to packaging materials such as the box paper can reduce the amount of nicotine migration in smoke.

[0005] In other words, it was necessary to adjust the pH of the medium of the smoking product to a slightly alkaline pH of 8 to 9.5, which would result in a great smoking satisfaction. However, a medium with an alkaline pH would volatilize, causing nicotine to transfer to packaging materials such as the inner liner and case wrapping paper.

[0006] As a result, smoking articles containing a medium part with a weakly alkaline pH can transfer nicotine without heating, but after production is completed, a period of equilibrium is required for the nicotine to be transferred to materials inside the stick, such as acetate filters, and a method is required to prevent loss of nicotine due to transfer to packaging materials in order to prevent changes in taste after the nicotine transfer equilibrium is reached inside the stick. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0007] Patent Document 1: Republic of Korea Patent Publication No. 2021-0121968 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a smoking article that includes a pH-adjusted medium and is applied with an absorbing / releasing material that can prevent nicotine transfer.

[0009] The present invention further provides an aerosol generating system using a smoking article according to the present invention.

[0010] However, the problems to be solved by the present invention are not limited to those mentioned above, and other problems not mentioned will be clearly understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art from the following description. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] The present invention relates to a hydrogen ion concentration exponent (pH) adjusting medium part, and a paper segment including an absorbent / release material. To provide a smoking article in which the nicotine transfer phenomenon is prevented.

[0012] In one embodiment of the invention, the smoking article may further include a thermally conductive wrapper encasing at least one of the media portion and the paper segment.

[0013] In another embodiment of the present invention, the thermally conductive wrapper may be one or more selected from the group consisting of aluminum, gold, silver and copper.

[0014] In another embodiment of the present invention, the pH of the pH-adjusted medium part may be 8 to 9.5.

[0015] In another embodiment of the present invention, the pH adjusting medium portion may include volatile nicotine.

[0016] In another embodiment of the invention, the paper segments may be located on one or both sides of the media portion.

[0017] In another embodiment of the present invention, the absorbing and releasing material may be one or more selected from the group consisting of activated carbon, zeolite, alumina, silica gel and bentonite.

[0018] In another embodiment of the present invention, the smoking article may be a heated smoking article.

[0019] In another embodiment of the present invention, the smoking article may further comprise a tube filter portion and a filter portion.

[0020] The present invention further provides an aerosol generating system, comprising: An aerosol generating device including a battery and a heater that generates heat by power supplied from the battery; and a smoking article according to the present invention that is contained in the aerosol generation device and generates an aerosol by heating with the heater. Effect of the Invention

[0021] In the conventional smoking article, when the pH of the medium is adjusted to improve smoking satisfaction, the free nicotine in the medium is continuously transferred within the smoking article, and a considerable period of time is required for the medium to reach an equilibrium state with uniform quality, but the smoking article of the present invention further includes a paper segment to which an absorbing / releasing material is applied in addition to the pH-adjusted medium, and is characterized in that the product acclimatization period is shortened by the rapid adsorption of volatile free nicotine within a short period of time, thereby ensuring a stable shelf-life of the product. In addition, the smoking article prevents nicotine from transferring to parts of the smoking product that do not affect nicotine transfer (such as the final outer shell, inner liner, or case wrapping paper), thereby preventing the loss of the amount of nicotine that can be transferred during smoking and maintaining the safety of the filter.

[0022] In addition, by heating the paper segment to which the absorption / release material is applied when using the smoking article, the nicotine adsorbed to the absorption / release material is desorbed and transferred, thereby preventing the loss of nicotine to other materials and at the same time allowing the nicotine, including volatile nicotine, to be transferred without heating, thereby achieving a high level of smoking satisfaction.

[0023] It should be understood that the effects of the present invention are not limited to the effects described above, but include all effects that can be inferred from the configuration of the invention described in the detailed description of the present invention or the claims. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0024] [Figure 1] 1 is a cross-sectional view of a smoking article according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] 10 is a cross-sectional view of a smoking article according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3] 10 is a cross-sectional view of a smoking article according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4A] 1 is a cross-sectional view of a smoking article according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4B] 1 is a cross-sectional view of a smoking article according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 5]1 is a cross-sectional view of an aerosol generation system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of an aerosol generation system according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0025] In the description with reference to the accompanying drawings, the same reference numerals are used for the same components regardless of the reference numerals, and the duplicated description thereof will be omitted. In describing the embodiments, if it is determined that a detailed description of related known technology may unnecessarily obscure the gist of the embodiments, the detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0026] Throughout this specification, when we say that an element is "on" another element, this includes not only when the element is in contact with the other element, but also when there is another element between the two elements.

[0027] Throughout the specification, when a part is said to "comprise" certain elements, this does not mean to the exclusion of other elements, but may further include other elements.

[0028] Throughout the specification, the term "smoking article" may mean any product that can be smoked or that can provide a smoking experience, whether or not based on tobacco, a tobacco derivative, expanded tobacco, reconstituted tobacco, or a tobacco substitute.

[0029] Additionally, throughout the specification, "medium" refers to a portion or area that contains smokable material, i.e., a material that can generate an aerosol and thus transfer nicotine to the user.

[0030] Throughout the specification, "paper segment" means a portion or section that includes a paper material and that includes a paper filter that is in contact with a media portion.

[0031] Throughout the specification, pH is a measure of how many hydrogen ions are present in a substance and may be expressed herein as pH.

[0032] Throughout the specification, the terms "upstream" and "downstream" refer to the portion where air enters from the outside of the smoking article to the inside when a user inhales outside air using the smoking article, and the portion where air exits from the inside of the smoking article containing the combustible heat source to the outside, respectively. The terms "upstream" and "downstream" can be used to indicate the relative positions or directions between parts or segments that make up the smoking article.

[0033] Throughout the specification, the term "sorbent / desorbent material" refers to a material that undergoes or can undergo sorption and desorption. In the present invention, this generally refers to a material that is easy to adsorb and that can release the adsorbed material by physical treatment (e.g., heating).

[0034] Throughout the specification, "aerosol generating device" can mean a device capable of generating an aerosol, said aerosol comprising a volatile compound.

[0035] Hereinafter, the pH adjusting medium part 200 of the present invention and A paper segment 100 including an absorbent / release material 101; The smoking article 1000 will be specifically described with reference to examples and drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to such examples and drawings.

[0036] As shown in FIG. 1, the present invention includes a pH adjusting medium portion 200, and a paper segment 100 including an absorbent / emissive material 101.

[0037] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the paper segment may be located on one or both sides of the media portion. The paper segment may be located on one side of the media portion, i.e., on the upstream side of the media portion, as shown in Figure 1. Alternatively, the paper segment may be located on the downstream side of the media portion, as shown in Figure 3.

[0038] Alternatively, the paper segments may be located on both sides of the medium as shown in Fig. 2. By applying a paper filter with an absorbing / releasing material applied to both sides of the medium as shown in Fig. 2, the absorbing / releasing material adsorbs free-base nicotine in a short time, thereby shortening the harmonizing period, and preventing nicotine from being transferred to other materials (such as the final outer shell, inner liner, or case wrapping paper) that do not affect nicotine transfer, thereby preventing nicotine loss and allowing other segments such as the filter section and tube filter section included in the smoking article to function stably.

[0039] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the paper segment includes an absorbing / releasing material, which may be one or more selected from the group consisting of activated carbon, zeolite, alumina, silica gel, and bentonite. However, the above types are merely examples, and the absorbing / releasing material is not limited to the above as long as it is a material that can easily adsorb free nicotine and release it by a treatment such as heating.

[0040] The absorbing / releasing material may have an average particle diameter of 0.1 to 1000 μm, and may be a porous material that contains pores, such as activated carbon, and can easily adsorb nicotine. The term "porous" refers to a state in which a solid has pores (gaps) inside or on the surface. The absorbing / releasing material may have a specific surface area of ​​300 m 2 / g or more, and may have a porosity of 10 to 80%. The porosity refers to the volume ratio between the matrix constituting the porous material and the pores present in the matrix. If the porosity is less than 10%, nicotine may not be easily adsorbed due to insufficient porosity, and if it exceeds 80%, the amount of nicotine adsorbed may be excessive, and the heat treatment time may be extended.

[0041] The absorption / release material may be contained in an amount of 1 to 30% by weight relative to the total weight of the paper segment (100% by weight). If the absorption / release material is contained in an amount of less than 1% by weight, nicotine may not be sufficiently adsorbed, and if it is contained in an amount of more than 30% by weight, dust may be generated because the material is not sufficiently bonded to the paper.

[0042] The absorbent / release material may be sprayed onto the paper base paper on which a crimp is formed. The absorbent / release material may utilize a binder so that the absorbent / release material can be easily combined with the paper base paper. The binder is a material having a viscosity of a certain level or more, and may be, for example, glycerin, propylene glycol, guar gum, starch, ethylene vinyl acetate, gum arabic, polyvinyl alcohol, or methyl cellulose, without being limited thereto.

[0043] The adsorbent material can be impregnated into the base paper by premixing the binder and the adsorbent material and then spraying, applying or coating the mixed material onto the base paper, or by pretreating the base paper with the binder through spraying, applying or coating, and then spraying the adsorbent material onto the base paper that has been treated with the binder. The base paper impregnated with the adsorbent material as described above can be wound to a certain thickness to produce paper segments.

[0044] According to one embodiment, the amount of binder applied to the surface of the base paper may be 4 mg / mm or less, 3 mg / mm or less, 2 mg / mm or less, or 1 mg / mm or less, and preferably 0.5 mg / mm to 4 mg / mm, 0.5 mg / mm to 3 mg / mm, or 0.5 mg / mm to 2 mg / mm.

[0045] The basis weight of the base paper is 10 to 120 g / m 2 The base paper may have a basis weight of 10 g / m 2 If it is less than 120 g / m, the hardness of the paper segment will be weak, which may affect the quality of the entire smoking article. 2 If the thickness exceeds this range, it may be difficult to wind the base paper and produce it in the form of a paper segment.

[0046] By way of example, the diameter of the paper segment may be 4 mm to 30 mm, the circumference may be 14 mm to 29 mm, and the length may be 10 mm to 70 mm, but is not limited thereto.

[0047] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the smoking article of the present invention includes a pH-adjusting medium part, and the pH of the medium part is 8 to 9.5. The medium part of the present invention has a pH of 8 to 9.5, so that the nicotine contained in the medium part can be in a free-base state in which it is volatile. As a result, the smoking article of the present invention smoothly transfers nicotine without heating when used. However, when the smoking article includes a pH-adjusting medium part having a pH of 8 to 9.5, a conditioning period is required to transfer nicotine to materials inside the stick such as acetate filters and reach a nicotine transfer equilibrium state inside the stick so that the smoking article has a uniform nicotine content and uniform quality after the completion of production. Therefore, by including an adsorbent material in a paper segment on one or both sides of the medium, the conditioning period for maintaining uniform quality is shortened, and nicotine loss due to nicotine transfer to other materials (final outer shell, inner liner, box packaging paper, etc.) in which the smoking article is packaged after the conditioning period is prevented.

[0048] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the pH adjusting medium of the present invention contains volatile nicotine. The pH adjusting medium of the present invention contains volatile nicotine, and is characterized in that the nicotine can be easily transferred without heating during smoking. The volatile nicotine is not only contained in the pH adjusting medium, but may be transferred from the pH adjusting medium and entirely contained in the paper segment.

[0049] The pH-adjusting medium section contains an aerosol-generating substance, and may contain, for example, a smoking substance based on tobacco raw materials such as paper-type sheets, slurry-type sheets, granular tobacco, shredded grass, etc. The medium section may have a structure in which the smoking substance is wrapped in cigarette paper, or may be a filter block containing the smoking substance. Alternatively, the smoking substance may be contained in a cavity in a cavity filter system.

[0050] In addition to the smoking substance, the medium of the present invention may contain a pH regulator to adjust the pH.

[0051] The pH adjuster may be one or more selected from the group consisting of carbonates including calcium carbonate, monocarbonate, bicarbonate and sesquicarbonate, acetates, glycinates, gluconates, borates, glycerophosphates or alkali metal or ammonium citrates, phosphates including monohydrogen phosphates, dihydrogen phosphates and trihydrogen phosphates, metal hydroxides such as sodium hydroxide and potassium hydroxide, and mixtures thereof.

[0052] The medium of the present invention may have a granular shape by including a binder in addition to the smoking material. The binder may be, but is not limited to, flurane, dextrin, cellulose, or glycerin.

[0053] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the smoking article according to the present invention may be a heated smoking article. The heated smoking article refers to an article that is smoked by applying heat by a heating means such as a heater without burning it with a fire.

[0054] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the smoking article may further include a thermally conductive wrapper that wraps at least one of the medium portion and the paper segment. The inclusion of the thermally conductive wrapper may allow the nicotine adsorbed in the absorbing / releasing material to be released more effectively. In general, when the thermally conductive wrapper is not included, smoking can be performed by heating to a temperature of about 200°C, and when the thermally conductive wrapper is included, smoking can be performed even at a temperature below 200°C.

[0055] As an example of the arrangement of the thermally conductive wrapper within the smoking article, the thermally conductive wrapper may encase both the medium portion and the paper segment as shown in Figure 4A, or may encase only the paper segment as shown in Figure 4B.

[0056] The thermally conductive wrapper may be paper, flax, wood pulp, or a polymer material containing a thermally conductive material. The thermally conductive material may be one or more selected from the group consisting of aluminum, gold, silver, copper, or carbon nanotubes, but is not limited to the above materials as long as it is a material that can transfer heat generated by the heater to the paper segment or the medium. Preferably, the thermally conductive wrapper of the present invention may be in the form of paper laminated with aluminum foil.

[0057] The thermally conductive wrapper may have a thickness of about 30 μm to 300 μm. If the thickness of the wrapper is less than 30 μm, it may have a reduced effect on heat transfer, and if it is more than 300 μm, it may have an effect on airflow.

[0058] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the smoking article may further include a tube filter portion and a filter portion.

[0059] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the smoking article may further include a tube filter part in addition to the medium part and the paper segment. The tube filter part may collect aerosol generated from the tobacco material at the center of the stick and support the tobacco material so that it is not pushed downstream. The tube filter part may be made of a paper material, a polymer material, etc., and may include any material used in heated tobacco products without being limited to the above-mentioned materials.

[0060] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the smoking article includes a filter unit. For example, the filter unit may be a mono-filter, a double filter, or a triple filter. The filter unit may include at least one of a porous matrix structure, a tube structure, and a paper tube structure. The filter may include a filter tow including at least one of polymer, paper, cellulose acetate, activated carbon, and carbon in a fiber form, a filament form, or both. However, the filter tow is not limited thereto. In some embodiments, the filter material may further include at least one filter material widely known in the art, such as an adsorbent including carbon, activated carbon, etc.

[0061] By way of example, the smoking article may have a diameter of 4 mm to 10 mm, a circumference of 14 mm to 29 mm, and a length of 45 mm to 100 mm, but is not limited thereto.

[0062] The present invention also provides an aerosol generation system 3000, which includes an aerosol generation device 2000 including a battery 700, a heater 600 that generates heat using power supplied from the battery 700, and a vaporizer 1100, and the above-mentioned smoking article 1000 that is contained in the aerosol generation device 2000 and generates aerosol by heating the heater 600.

[0063] As used herein, "aerosol generating device" may refer to a device that generates an aerosol using a tobacco medium to generate an aerosol that can be inhaled directly through the user's mouth into the user's lungs.

[0064] As an example, the aerosol generating device is similar to that shown in Fig. 5. However, Fig. 5 shows only components related to the embodiment of the present invention, and a person skilled in the art to which the present invention belongs will understand that other general components may be included in addition to the components shown in Fig. 5. The components of the aerosol generating device 2000 will be described below.

[0065] The aerosol generating device may further include a heater 600 in which smoking articles are accommodated, a battery 700, a vaporizer 1100, a control unit 800, and an accommodating space 900. However, this is merely a preferred embodiment for achieving the object of the present disclosure, and it goes without saying that some components may be added or omitted as necessary.

[0066] Each component of the aerosol generating device shown in Figure 5 represents a functionally divided functional element, and multiple components may be realized in a form integrated with each other in an actual physical environment, or a single component may be realized in a form separated into multiple detailed functional elements.

[0067] Referring to FIG. 5, the smoking article 1000 includes a heater 600, and aerosol is generated by heat generated from the heater, and the generated aerosol passes through the smoking article 1000 and can be inhaled through the user's mouth in contact with the filter portion.

[0068] The heater 600 can generate aerosol by heating the smoking article accommodated in the accommodation space 900. That is, the heater 600 is arranged in a form that wraps around the periphery of the accommodation space, and can heat the smoking article 1000 accommodated in the accommodation space. The heater can be realized as an electric resistance heater.

[0069] The heater may be in the form of a single heater or a multi-stage heater, and as shown in FIG. 5, a single heater may be used to simultaneously heat the paper segment and the medium portion.

[0070] Alternatively, as another embodiment, as shown in Fig. 6, a multi-stage heater may be provided, and the heater may heat only the paper segment portion. Generally, when the adsorption energy is large, the desorption energy is also large, so that the free nicotine adsorbed on the material is desorbed and transferred by minimally heating the portion to which the absorbing / releasing material is applied, and nicotine can be transferred only when used without loss of free nicotine.

[0071] However, the scope of the present disclosure is not limited to these examples. The smoking article of the present invention can also include a thermally conductive wrapper, and as described above, the arrangement of the paper segment and the medium can be varied, so that the arrangement of the heater can be varied depending on the design and configuration of the smoking article.

[0072] The vaporizer 1100 may include a liquid composition, a liquid storage unit containing the liquid composition, and an atomizing element that atomizes the liquid composition. Although not shown in the drawings, a passage through which the aerosol generated by the atomizing element can be transmitted is included between the storage space in which the smoking article is stored in the vaporizer.

[0073] The atomizing element may be a heater for heating the liquid composition, or a vibrator for supplying vibration energy to the liquid composition. The liquid composition may generate an aerosol by applying heat or vibration to the liquid composition. The liquid composition may include at least one of propylene glycol (PG) and glycerin (GLY), and may further include at least one of ethylene glycol, dipropylene glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, tetraethylene glycol, and oleyl alcohol.

[0074] The control unit 800 can generally control the operation of the aerosol generating device 2000. For example, the control unit 800 can control the operation of the heater 600 and the battery 700, and can also control the operation of other components included in the aerosol generating device 2000. The control unit 800 can control the power supplied by the battery 700, the heating temperature of the heater 600, etc. The battery may be a rechargeable battery or a non-rechargeable battery. Examples of suitable batteries include, for example, a lithium-ion battery, a nickel battery (e.g., a nickel-cadmium battery), an alkaline battery, and / or the like.

[0075] As described above, although the embodiments have been described with limited drawings, those having ordinary skill in the art may apply various technical modifications and variations based on the above. For example, the described techniques may be performed in a different order from that described, and / or the components of the described systems, structures, devices, circuits, etc. may be combined or combined in a different manner from that described, or may be replaced or substituted by other components or equivalents to achieve suitable results.

[0076] Therefore, other embodiments, examples, and equivalents to the claims are also within the scope of the following claims. [Industrial Applicability]

[0077] The smoking article of the present invention further comprises a paper segment to which an absorbing / releasing material is applied, together with a pH-adjusted medium portion, and shortens the product conditioning period by rapidly absorbing volatile free nicotine within a short period of time, thereby ensuring a stable storage life of the product. It is also possible to prevent nicotine from transferring to other parts, thereby preventing the loss of nicotine. When the smoking article is in use, the paper segment can be heated to migrate the adsorbed volatile nicotine, thereby providing a high level of smoking satisfaction, and is therefore useful in the smoking product industry. [Explanation of symbols]

[0078] 100: Paper segment 200: pH adjustment medium part 300: Tube filter section 400: Filter section 500: Thermally conductive wrapper 600: Heater 700: Battery 800: Control unit 900: Containment Space 1000: Smoking articles 2000: Aerosol generator 3000: Aerosol Generation System

Claims

1. A pH adjusting medium portion containing volatile nicotine; a paper segment including an absorbent / release material that absorbs and releases the volatile nicotine; The absorbing / releasing material is at least one selected from the group consisting of zeolite, alumina, silica gel and bentonite; A smoking article in which nicotine transfer is prevented.

2. The smoking article further includes a thermally conductive wrapper surrounding at least one of the media portion and the paper segment.

2. A smoking article in which nicotine transfer is prevented according to claim 1.

3. The thermally conductive wrapper is at least one selected from the group consisting of aluminum, gold, silver and copper; 3. A smoking article in which nicotine transfer is prevented according to claim 2.

4. The pH of the pH-adjusted medium portion is 8 to 9.5; 2. A smoking article in which nicotine transfer is prevented according to claim 1.

5. The paper segments are disposed on one or both sides of the media portion.

2. A smoking article in which nicotine transfer is prevented according to claim 1.

6. The smoking article is A heated smoking article.

2. A smoking article in which nicotine transfer is prevented according to claim 1.

7. The smoking article is Further comprising a tube filter section and a filter section, 2. A smoking article in which nicotine transfer is prevented according to claim 1.

8. 1. An aerosol generating system comprising: An aerosol generating device including a battery and a heater that generates heat by power supplied from the battery; An aerosol generation system comprising: a smoking article according to any one of claims 1 to 7, which is contained in the aerosol generation device and generates an aerosol by heating with the heater.

Images