Aerosol generating substrate precursor and preparation method therefor

Abstract

A preparation method for an aerosol generating substrate precursor, comprising: performing impact crushing treatment on tobacco and / or an aromatic plant; placing the material in a vacuum closed environment, adding an acidic treatment solution, and performing heating aroma production treatment, the heating temperature being 60-120°C; and adding an inorganic porous material, an aroma additive, a polyol smoke-producing agent and a binder into an obtained mixture, adding a solvent, and performing slurry preparation, granulation and preliminary drying to form basic particles, so as to obtain the aerosol generating substrate precursor. The tobacco and / or the aromatic plant is treated with the acidic treatment solution, so that free nicotine in the tobacco and / or the aromatic plant is salified, thereby reducing irritation; and aroma substances in cells of the tobacco and / or the aromatic plant are transferred to the surface by means of the combination of vacuum heating and crushing, so that the aroma is released more easily during heat-not-burn, and the flavor is more mellow. In addition, an aerosol generating substrate precursor prepared by the preparation method is provided.

Description

Aerosol-generating matrix precursor and preparation method thereof

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese application 202311465687.1, filed on November 6, 2023, entitled “Aerosol Generating Matrix Precursor and Preparation Method Thereof,” which is incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] The present application relates to the technical field of heat-not-burn atomization, and in particular to an aerosol-generating matrix precursor and a preparation method thereof. Background Art

[0003] Aerosol-generating matrix products are consumables used in conjunction with heat-not-burn atomizer devices. When the aerosol-generating matrix product is inserted into the heat-not-burn atomizer device, the heat-not-burn atomizer device heats the smoking raw materials (such as tobacco and / or aromatic plant materials) of the aerosol-generating matrix product to generate aerosol for inhalation by the user; the heat-not-burn atomizer device only heats the smoking raw materials but does not burn them, which can greatly reduce or even avoid the production of tar. The smoke composition is relatively controllable, and the harmful substances are relatively much less.

[0004] However, aerosol-generating matrix products have the following problems: due to the presence of nicotine in the smoking raw materials, there will be irritation when smoking, affecting the taste experience; and under the condition of heating without burning, for some smoking materials, the aroma produced is relatively light and the aroma is not mellow enough, which will also affect the taste experience. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The technical problem to be solved by the present application is to provide an improved aerosol-generating substrate precursor and a preparation method thereof.

[0006] The technical solution adopted by the present application to solve the technical problem is: a method for preparing an aerosol generating matrix precursor, comprising the following steps:

[0007] Taking tobacco and / or aromatic plants and subjecting them to hammer crushing;

[0008] Aroma production treatment: The material obtained after the crushing treatment is placed in a vacuum-sealed environment, an acidic treatment liquid is added, and then heated at a temperature of 60°C to 120°C to obtain an aroma-containing material;

[0009] An inorganic porous material, a polyol smoke generating agent, a flavor additive and a binder are added to the obtained aroma-containing material, and a neutral solvent is added to perform slurry preparation, granulation and preliminary drying of viscous particles to obtain an aerosol-generating matrix precursor.

[0010] In some embodiments, in the step of taking tobacco and / or aromatic plants for impact crushing, the aromatic plants include at least one of plants of the families Liliaceae, Cupressaceae, Patriniaceae, Primulaceae, Fabaceae, Ericaceae, Annonaceae, Oleaceae, Mimosaceae, Iridaceae, Scrophulariaceae, Gentianaceae, Verbenaceae, Aristolochiaceae, Magnoliaceae, Oleaceae, Rosaceae, Solanaceae, Rubiaceae, Lauraceae, Rutaceae, Asteraceae, Orchidaceae, Poaceae, Piperaceae, Juglandaceae, Caprifoliaceae, Zingiberaceae, Apiaceae, Moraceae, Amaryllidaceae, Pinaceae, Usneaceae, Myrtaceae, Hamamelidaceae and Malvaceae.

[0011] In some embodiments, in the step of taking tobacco and / or aromatic plants and subjecting them to impact crushing, the crushed particles of tobacco, aromatic plants or a mixture of the two are spindle-shaped and / or rhombohedral particles; the aspect ratio of the spindle-shaped and rhombohedral particles is (3-5):1.

[0012] In some embodiments, in the step of subjecting tobacco and / or aromatic plants to impact crushing, the particle size of the crushed material is 18 μm-100 μm.

[0013] In some embodiments, during the aroma production step, an acidic treatment solution is added so that the end point pH of the treatment system is 6.5-7.8.

[0014] In some embodiments, in the aroma-producing treatment step, the acidic treatment liquid includes at least one of citric acid, benzoic acid, lactic acid, levulinic acid, salicylic acid, and tartaric acid.

[0015] In some embodiments, in the aroma production step, the aroma pretreatment is performed until the volume of the aroma-containing material expands by 1.1-1.5 times and the amount of free nicotine dissolved increases by at least 50%.

[0016] In some embodiments, the inorganic porous material includes at least one of zeolite, molecular sieve, diatomaceous earth, montmorillonite, alumina, silica gel, activated carbon, calcium silicate, chitosan porous material, cellulose fiber, lignin particles, clay, sepiolite, and palygorskite; and / or the polyol smoke generator includes at least one of glycerol, propylene glycol, butylene glycol, and butanetriol; and / or the flavor additive is an extract of tobacco and / or an extract of an aromatic plant; and / or the binder includes one or more combinations of pullulan, tamarind polysaccharide, and hydroxypropyl methylcellulose.

[0017] In some embodiments, the aerosol-generating substrate precursor comprises the following raw materials in parts by weight: 30-80 parts of tobacco and / or flavor plants, 10-30 parts of polyol smoke generating agent, 0-5 parts of binder, 5-20 parts of inorganic porous material, and 5-10 parts of flavor additive;

[0018] and / or, the aerosol-generating substrate precursor further comprises 0-8 parts of an electromagnetic induction material or 0-8 parts of a resistive heating material;

[0019] And / or, the aerosol-generating substrate precursor further comprises 0-5 parts of a thermally conductive material.

[0020] In some embodiments, the dried aerosol-forming substrate precursor has a water content of 10% to 50% by weight.

[0021] In some embodiments, in the step of adding inorganic porous material, polyol smoke generator, flavor additive and adhesive to the obtained fragrance-containing material, electromagnetic induction material is also added, and the electromagnetic induction material is at least one of iron, nickel, copper, germanium, carbon, chromium, tin, manganese and aluminum.

[0022] In some embodiments, the particle size of the electromagnetic induction material is 50 nm to 1 μm; and / or the preparation method further comprises crushing the electromagnetic induction material, whereby the electromagnetic induction material after crushing forms filamentous fibers with a length of 10 μm to 50 μm.

[0023] In some embodiments, in the step of adding inorganic porous material, polyol smoke generator, flavor additive and adhesive to the obtained fragrance-containing material, a resistive heating material is also added, and the resistive heating material includes at least one of zirconium oxide, carbon nanotubes, nickel, chromium and iron.

[0024] In some embodiments, in the step of adding inorganic porous material, polyol smoke generator, flavor additive and adhesive to the obtained fragrance-containing material, a thermally conductive material that has been subjected to high-temperature impurity removal treatment is also added, and the thermally conductive material is at least one of iron powder, copper powder, graphite powder, graphene, boron nitride, aluminum oxide, and carbon powder, and / or the thermal conductivity coefficient of the thermally conductive material is 1W / mk to 500W / mk, and / or the particle size of the thermally conductive material is 20nm-2μm, and / or the temperature of the high-temperature impurity removal treatment is 800℃ to 1500℃.

[0025] The present application also provides a method for preparing an aerosol-generating matrix precursor, comprising the following steps:

[0026] Tobacco and / or aromatic plants are subjected to impact crushing treatment, and the crushed particles of tobacco, aromatic plants or a mixture of the two are spindle-shaped and / or multi-rhomboid particles;

[0027] Aroma production treatment: The material obtained after the crushing treatment is placed in a vacuum-sealed environment, an acidic treatment liquid is added, and a heating treatment is performed at a heating temperature of 60-120°C to obtain an aroma-containing material;

[0028] An inorganic porous material, a polyol smoke generating agent, a flavor additive and a binder are added to the obtained flavor-containing material, and a neutral solvent is added to prepare a slurry, granulate and dry the slurry to form an aerosol-generating matrix precursor with a moisture mass percentage of 10-50% and viscosity.

[0029] The present application also provides an aerosol-generating matrix precursor, which is prepared using the above-mentioned preparation method. The aerosol-generating matrix precursor includes components: a carrier material, an inorganic porous material, a polyol smoke-generating agent, a flavor additive, and an adhesive. The carrier material is tobacco and / or aromatic plants.

[0030] The implementation of the present application has the following beneficial effects: the present application performs an impact crushing treatment on tobacco, aromatic plants or a mixture of the two, which facilitates subsequent acid treatment and heating to produce aroma, and then treats the tobacco and / or aromatic plants with an acidic treatment liquid, so that the free nicotine in the tobacco and / or aromatic plants is salted, reducing irritation and improving the taste experience; and heats the tobacco and / or aromatic plants to produce aroma under vacuum conditions at 60°C to 120°C, and combines vacuum heating and crushing to hollow out the cells in the tobacco and / or aromatic plants, achieving the purpose of breaking the cell walls and transferring the aroma substances in the cells to the surface. When heated without burning, the aroma is more likely to overflow, the aroma is more fragrant, and the user's taste experience is improved. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] The present application will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments, in which:

[0032] FIG1 is a schematic flow chart of a method for preparing an aerosol-generating matrix precursor in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] The embodiments of the present application will be described in more detail below. It should be understood that those skilled in the art can implement the present application in various forms and should not be limited by the embodiments set forth herein. On the contrary, these embodiments are provided to make the present application more thorough and complete, and to fully convey the scope of the present application to those skilled in the art.

[0034] The present application provides a method for preparing an aerosol generating matrix precursor, as shown in FIG1 , comprising the following steps:

[0035] S1. Take tobacco and / or aromatic plants and perform impact crushing.

[0036] This step is to facilitate the subsequent aroma production process; among them, tobacco can be used as the smoking material alone as the raw material; aromatic plants can also be used as the smoking material alone. Aromatic plants themselves have a certain aroma, and when used in the heat-not-burn aerosol generation matrix precursor, the taste of the smoke is enriched; a mixture of the two can also be used as the smoking material to make the taste richer and meet the user's various taste requirements; when tobacco and aromatic plants are mixed, the two can be mixed in any proportion to form the smoking material, such as the mass ratio of tobacco and aromatic plants is 1:1, 1:2, 1:3, 2:3, 2:1, 3:1, etc., and there is no specific limitation.

[0037] In some embodiments, the particle size of the crushed material (e.g., tobacco, aromatic plants, or a mixture thereof) is controlled to be between 18 μm and 100 μm, such as 18 μm, 20 μm, 25 μm, 30 μm, 40 μm, 45 μm, 50 μm, 55 μm, 60 μm, 65 μm, 70 μm, 80 μm, 90 μm, 100 μm, etc., specifically within the above ranges. Controlling the particle size of the tobacco, aromatic plants, or a mixture thereof to be within the above ranges facilitates subsequent aroma production processing, heating, and smoke production, thereby improving the user experience.

[0038] In some embodiments, tobacco, aromatic plants or a mixture of the two are crushed so that the material has a particle shape of spindles and / or rhombuses, and the aspect ratio of the spindles and rhombuses is (3-5):1, such as an aspect ratio of 3:1, 4:1, 5:1, etc., without specific limitation, and is crushed into particles of this structure and aspect ratio; when tobacco, aromatic plants or a mixture of the two are in the form of spindles and rhombuses, it is more convenient to fill them in the aerosol-forming matrix, and other components can fill the gaps in the tobacco, aromatic plants or the mixture of the two, thereby improving the utilization rate of the space in the aerosol-forming matrix precursor. Since the aerosol-forming matrix precursor is relatively dense, all components will be tightly filled therein during the production process, so that all components are fixed in the aerosol-forming matrix precursor without displacement, which is beneficial to maintaining the structural stability of the aerosol-forming matrix precursor, further facilitating the subsequent preparation of the aerosol-forming matrix, making the overall structure more solid and the smoke-generating effect better.

[0039] In one embodiment of the present application, aromatic plants are plants with a certain aroma, a certain medicinal value, or a certain physiological satisfaction. Aromatic plants include but are not limited to Liliaceae (such as aloe, garlic, lily of the valley, hyacinth, onion, sarsaparilla, etc.), Cupressaceae (such as arborvitae, cypress, juniper, juniper, etc.), Patriniaceae (such as nard, valerian, and scutellaria), Primulaceae (such as angelica, scutellaria, etc.), Leguminosae (such as Amorpha fruticosa, nanmu, acacia, clover, fenugreek, licorice, silver acacia, peanut, pointed leaf sweet yew tree, tamarind, black tofu, yellow sweet osmanthus, etc.), Ericaceae (such as angelica, valerian, scutellaria, etc.), (such as Rhododendron capitatum, Rhododendron xinganensis, Holly, Yunnan White Pearl, etc.), Annonaceae (such as Ylang-ylang, Hawk's Claw Flower, Cananga, etc.), Oleaceae (such as olive, Myrrh, Frankincense, etc.), Mimosaceae (such as Catechu, etc.), Iridaceae (such as Iris vetiver, Crocus, Iris, etc.), Scrophulariaceae (such as Mullein, Big-leafed Stone Dragon Tail, etc.), Gentianaceae (such as Chilata Swertia, Gentian, Menyanthes, etc.), Verbenaceae (such as Orchid Vanilla, Vitex, Vitex, Mongolian Caryopteris, Hairy Caryopteris, Verbena, Deodorant Wood, etc.), Aristolochiaceae (such as Asarum, Asarum, Aristolochia snakeroot, Ampelopsis pilosula, etc.), Magnoliaceae (such as Eight Fennel, white orchid, yellow orchid, purple magnolia, wild star anise, etc.), Oleaceae (such as clove, jasmine, osmanthus, lilac, large-flowered jasmine, etc.), Rosaceae (such as rose, apricot, apple, cherry, black red, hawthorn, plum raspberry, strawberry, costus root, etc.), Solanaceae (such as pepper, tuberose, etc.), Rubiaceae (such as small-fruit coffee, gardenia, etc.), Lauraceae (such as Yunnan camphor, yellow sassafras, laurel, mountain pepper, lindera, litsea cubeba, daisy flower, poplar-leaved litsea, Sri Lankan cinnamon, monkey camphor, Sichuan cinnamon, new camphor, pomelo camphor, rock cinnamon, sassafras, burdock, cinnamon, cinnamon, cinnamon, cinnamon), Rutaceae (such as lemon, sweet orange, citron, ball-flowered musk, Chinese cinnamon, bergamot, white fresh, round grapefruit, bergamot, red orange, Murraya, rue, pepper, Amitabha orange, white lemon, bitter orange, orange, citron, kumquat, lemon, bamboo leaf pepper), etc., Asteraceae (such as Artemisia annua, Artemisia capillaris, Mongolian Artemisia, Artemisia argyi, Atractylodes, Chicory, Chrysanthemum, Cloud Aucklandia, Dandelion, Elecampane, Canada Fleabane, Immortelle, Calendula, Marigold, Maidenhair, Tansy, Millefolium, Artemisia selengensis, Airplane Grass, etc.), Orchidaceae (such as black orchid, vanilla, etc.), Poaceae (such as hairy cypress, vetiver, lemongrass, orange grass, Twisted sheath citronella, rue, citronella, corn, Java citronella, barley, sugarcane, etc.), Piperaceae (sea breeze vine, pepper, small-leaved rock incense, betel leaves, etc.), Juglandaceae (such as pecan, walnut, etc.), Caprifoliaceae (such as elderberry, honeysuckle, etc.), Betulaceae (such as sweet birch, white birch, etc.), Zingiberaceae (such as Amomum villosum, sand ginger, cardamom, galangal, ginger, greater galangal, turmeric, Curcuma zedoaria, tsaoko, kaempferia, etc.), Apiaceae (such as fennel, dill, coriander, Artemisia liao, carrot, celery, angelica, fennel, bean sprout, small thief clothes, red bupleurum, northern bupleurum, celery, Indian dill, etc.), Moraceae (figAt least one of the family Aromatic Plants (Hops), Amaryllidaceae (Daffodils, Tuberose), Pinaceae (Korean Pine, Masson Pine, Hemlock, Abies, Tibetan Longleaf Pine), Usneaceae (Clustered Flowering Tree, Oakmoss), Myrtaceae (Sandalwood, Red Sandalwood), Hamamelidaceae (Lemon Eucalyptus, Clove, Blue Eucalyptus, Big Leaf Eucalyptus, Guava, Myrtle, Allspice, Pearl Orchid, Silver Dollar Grass, Caviar Orchid, Liquidambar, Styrax, etc.), and Malvaceae (Marshmallow, Hibiscus, Hibiscus Sabdariffa, etc.), etc., without being specifically limited here, and the flowers, fruits, roots, stems, leaves, barks, seeds, etc. of other natural plants with fragrance can be used as aromatic plants.

[0040] S2. Place the material obtained through the treatment in step S1 in a vacuum-sealed environment, add an acidic treatment liquid for treatment, and then heat it to produce fragrance at a heating temperature of 60°C to 120°C to obtain a fragrance-containing material.

[0041] When adding the acidic treatment liquid, the acidic treatment liquid is allowed to fully soak the tobacco and / or aromatic plants. The purpose of soaking is to enable the acidic solution to bind with nicotine and other alkaline flavor substances inside the cells. Upon heating, the bound state is converted to a free state, which adheres to the tobacco surface and is quickly released when heated and inhaled. The acidic treatment liquid is added to achieve an endpoint pH of the treatment system of 6.5-7.8, such as 6.5, 6.6, 6.7, 6.8, 6.9, 7.0, 7.1, 7.2, 7.3, 7.4, 7.5, 7.6, 7.7, 7.8, etc., with no specific limitation, to increase the dissolution of free nicotine by at least 50% (monomeric nicotine). Heating converts bound nicotine to a free state. For example, nicotine in tobacco is mostly nicotine citrate, which can be decomposed into free nicotine and citric acid upon heating, reducing irritation and improving the taste experience. The acidic treatment liquid may include at least one of citric acid, benzoic acid, lactic acid, levulinic acid, salicylic acid and tartaric acid. The addition of the above acidic treatment liquid makes the reaction with the free salt and alkali milder, and does not destroy other components in the tobacco, aromatic plants or the mixture of the two. For example, the heating temperature is controlled to be 60°C, 70°C, 75°C, 80°C, 90°C, 95°C, 100°C, 105°C, 110°C, 115°C and 120°C, and there is no specific limitation. The heating temperature is relatively mild and does not cause the aroma substances to evaporate due to excessive temperature, thereby avoiding the aroma substances being destroyed by high temperature. The combination of crushing treatment and mild vacuum heating causes the cells in the tobacco and / or aromatic plants to become cavitated, achieving cell wall rupture and transferring the aroma substances in the cells to the surface. When heating without burning, the aroma is more likely to overflow, the aroma is more fragrant, and the user's taste experience is improved.

[0042] For example, using tobacco as the aroma-producing material, aroma tests were conducted on the tobacco before and after aroma treatment to detect the content of breadcrumbs and furfuryl alcohol in the reacted tobacco. Unreacted tobacco contained zero levels of these two aroma components, while after aroma treatment, the levels of breadcrumbs and furfuryl alcohol reached at least 0.15% and 0.25%, respectively. In other words, treating tobacco and / or aromatic plants with aroma can enhance the aroma's flavor, making it more fragrant and mellow, and improving the user's taste experience.

[0043] S3. Add inorganic porous materials, polyol smoke-generating agents, flavor additives and adhesives to the fragrance-containing material obtained in S2, and add neutral solvents to facilitate the subsequent formation of a paste with a certain humidity, which is convenient for extrusion or stamping; perform slurry mixing, granulation, and preliminary drying to form basic particles with viscosity, thereby obtaining an aerosol generation matrix precursor for subsequent molding processing.

[0044] The neutral solvent is water, alcohol or other neutral solvents.

[0045] In some embodiments, in step S5, the inorganic porous material includes at least one of zeolite, alumina, silica gel, activated carbon, calcium silicate, chitosan porous material, cellulose fiber, lignin particles, clay, sepiolite and molecular sieve. The above materials are used as porous fragrance carriers. Based on their porous properties, they are conducive to the release of aerosols. The inorganic porous material can use its own pore structure to adsorb a large amount of fragrance substances. At the same time, the adsorption and release properties of the porous material are affected by temperature. When the temperature is low, the release performance of the porous material is low. Therefore, during the processing or transportation stage after the fragrance is enhanced, the fragrance substances with low boiling points can be better stored in the porous material, thereby playing a role in preserving the fragrance and improving the shelf life of the product. As the temperature rises during the heated suction process, the fragrance substances in the porous structure are slowly released, thereby playing a role in slow-release fragrance enhancement, so as to ensure that the amount of smoke and the fragrance quality at the beginning and end of the suction are consistent.

[0046] The polyol smoke generator includes at least one of glycerol, propylene glycol, butylene glycol, and butanetriol. The flavor additive is a tobacco extract and / or an aromatic plant extract, or other essences, spices, etc. The addition of the flavor additive can enrich the smell of the aerosol and enhance the user experience. The binder includes one or more combinations of pullulan, tamarind polysaccharide, and hydroxypropyl methylcellulose. The addition of the binder can increase the viscosity of the various substances in the system, which is beneficial to the presence of the binder and inorganic porous material in the subsequent tableting process, and can effectively ensure the addition amount of tobacco and / or aromatic plants, so that the amount of aerosol-generated matrix smoke is sufficient.

[0047] In some embodiments, in step S3, the moisture content of the aerosol-generating matrix precursor during drying is 10% to 50%. For example, the moisture content of the aerosol-generating matrix precursor during drying is controlled to be 10%, 12%, 14%, 15%, 16%, 17%, 18%, 20%, 25%, 30%, 35%, 40%, 45% and 50%, etc., without specific limitation, so as to facilitate subsequent molding processing.

[0048] In one specific embodiment, in step S3, an electromagnetic induction material is also added. The electromagnetic induction material can be at least one of iron, nickel, copper, germanium, carbon, chromium, tin, manganese, and aluminum. The electromagnetic induction material is used in an electromagnetic induction-heated aerosol-generating substrate precursor. The corresponding heat-not-burn atomization device used in conjunction with the electromagnetic induction material includes a magnetic field generating unit. After the aerosol-generating substrate product (the finished aerosol-generating substrate precursor) is inserted into the heat-not-burn atomization device, it is heated by the magnetic field generating unit, causing the aerosol-generating substrate to generate an aerosol. In one embodiment of the present application, the particle size of the electromagnetic induction material is 50 nm to 1 μm. For example, the particle size of the electromagnetic induction material selected is 50 nm, 80 nm, 90 nm, 100 nm, 200 nm, 300 nm, 400 nm, 500 nm, 600 nm, 700 nm, 900 nm, or 1 μm, though the specific size is not limited thereto. Controlling the particle size of the electromagnetic induction material within the aforementioned range facilitates heating by the magnetic field generating unit, thereby heating the smokable material to generate an aerosol.

[0049] In step S3, the electromagnetic induction material is further crushed, and the crushing process forms filamentous fibers with a length of 10 μm to 50 μm of the electromagnetic induction material, such as filamentous fibers with a length of 10 μm, 15 μm, 20 μm, 25 μm, 30 μm, 35 μm, 40 μm, 45 μm, 50 μm, etc. Controlling the length and shape of the processed material within the above range is conducive to overlapping the electromagnetic induction material fibers to form a mesh induction heating structure, thereby increasing the induction heating area and improving the uniformity of heat distribution.

[0050] In one specific embodiment, a resistive heating material is further added in step S3. The resistive heating material comprises at least one of zirconium oxide, carbon nanotubes, nickel, chromium, and iron. The resistive heating material is used in a resistively heated aerosol-generating matrix precursor. These resistive heating materials have good resistive heating efficiency, can heat rapidly, and can quickly transfer heat to the tobacco, aromatic plant, or a mixture of the two, causing them to smoke and rapidly generate aerosol.

[0051] In a specific embodiment, in step S3, a heat-conducting material that has been subjected to a high-temperature impurity removal treatment is further added. The addition of the heat-conducting material improves heating uniformity and heat transfer efficiency, thereby improving heating uniformity and smoke utilization efficiency of the tobacco, aromatic plant, or mixture thereof. The heat-conducting material includes at least one of graphite powder, graphene, boron nitride, aluminum oxide, and carbon powder. The heat-conducting material has a thermal conductivity of 1 W / mk to 500 W / mk, and the heat-conducting material is controlled to be 1 W / mk, 50 W / mk, 100 W / mk, 150 W / mk, 180 W / mk, 200 W / mk, 250 W / mk, 280 W / mk, 300 W / mk, 400 W / mk, 500 W / mk, etc. The above heat-conducting material has high thermal conductivity, so that when a user draws on it, it can quickly heat up and quickly transfer heat to the tobacco, aromatic plant, or mixture thereof, causing it to smoke and generate aerosol. In one embodiment of the present application, the particle size of the selected thermally conductive material is 20 nm to 2 μm. For example, the particle size of the selected thermally conductive material is 20 nm, 30 nm, 50 nm, 80 nm, 90 nm, 100 nm, 200 nm, 300 nm, 400 nm, 500 nm, 600 nm, 700 nm, 900 nm, 1 μm, 1.5 μm, 2 μm, etc., and is not specifically limited. Controlling the particle size of the thermally conductive material within the above-disclosed range can be beneficial to uniform thermal conductivity of the thermally conductive material.

[0052] In step S3, the thermally conductive material undergoes a high-temperature impurity removal and puffing process at a heating temperature of 800°C to 1500°C, such as 800°C, 850°C, 900°C, 950°C, 1000°C, 1050°C, 1100°C, 1150°C, 1200°C, 1300°C, 1400°C, 1450°C, and 1500°C, with no specific limitation, to remove impurities from the thermally conductive material. The porosity of the thermally conductive material is greater than 65%. Under high porosity conditions, the pores of the thermally conductive material can absorb more polyol smoke-generating agents and smoke-generating materials (e.g., tobacco and / or aromatic plants), improving heat conversion and thus the heat release efficiency of the adsorption material. This helps improve the thermal conductivity of the thermally conductive material and facilitates subsequent filling and mixing with the various components.

[0053] In some embodiments, the method of preparing an aerosol-generating substrate precursor comprises the following steps:

[0054] Tobacco and / or aromatic plants are subjected to impact crushing treatment, and the crushed particles of tobacco, aromatic plants or a mixture of the two are spindle-shaped and / or multi-rhomboid particles;

[0055] Aroma production treatment: The material obtained after the crushing treatment is placed in a vacuum-sealed environment, an acidic treatment liquid is added, and a heating treatment is performed at a heating temperature of 60-120°C to obtain an aroma-containing material;

[0056] An inorganic porous material, a polyol smoke generating agent, a flavor additive and a binder are added to the obtained flavor-containing material, and a neutral solvent is added to prepare a slurry, granulate and dry the slurry to form an aerosol-generating matrix precursor with a moisture mass percentage of 10-50% and viscosity.

[0057] In a specific embodiment, the aerosol-forming matrix precursor comprises the following raw materials in parts by weight: 30-80 parts tobacco and / or aromatic plants, 10-30 parts polyol smoke-generating agent, 0-5 parts binder, 5-20 parts inorganic porous material, and 5-10 parts flavor additive. For example, the parts by weight of tobacco, aromatic plants, or a mixture thereof are 30, 33, 35, 38, 40, 42, 45, 48, 50, 55, 60, 65, 70, 75, 77, and 80, etc., without limitation. For example, the parts by weight of the polyol smoke-generating agent are 10, 12, 15, 18, 20, 25, 28, and 30, etc., without limitation. For example, the mass fraction of adhesive is 0 parts, 0.1 parts, 0.5 parts, 1 parts, 1.5 parts, 2 parts, 2.5 parts, 3 parts, 3.5 parts, 4 parts, 4.5 parts and 5 parts, etc., specifically not limited. For example, the mass fraction of inorganic porous material is 5 parts, 5.5 parts, 6 parts, 7 parts, 8 parts, 9 parts, 10 parts, 11 parts, 12 parts, 13 parts, 14 parts, 15 parts, 16 parts, 17 parts, 18 parts, 19 parts and 20 parts, etc., specifically not limited. For example, the mass fraction of flavor additive is 5 parts, 5.5 parts, 6 parts, 7 parts, 8 parts, 9 parts, 10 parts, 11 parts, 12 parts, 13 parts, 14 parts, 15 parts, 16 parts, 17 parts, 18 parts, 19 parts and 20 parts.

[0058] Optionally, the aerosol generating matrix precursor may also include 0-8 parts of electromagnetic induction material, and the mass fraction of the electromagnetic induction material is controlled to be 0 parts, 0.1 parts, 0.5 parts, 1 parts, 1.5 parts, 2 parts, 2.5 parts, 3 parts, 3.5 parts, 4 parts, 4.5 parts, 5 parts, 5.5 parts, 6 parts, 6.5 parts, 7 parts, 7.5 parts and 8 parts, etc., without specific limitation.

[0059] Alternatively, the aerosol generating matrix precursor may further include 0-8 parts of a resistance heating material, wherein the mass fraction of the resistance heating material is controlled to be 0, 0.1, 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3, 3.5, 4, 4.5, 5, 5.5, 6, 6.5, 7, 7.5, and 8 parts, etc., and is not specifically limited. The resistance heating material and the electromagnetic induction material are two parallel embodiments, which are selected according to the specific heating embodiment, and are not specifically limited. In certain embodiments, the aerosol generating matrix precursor may further include 0-5 parts of a thermally conductive material, such as controlling the mass fraction of the thermally conductive material to be 0, 0.1, 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3, 3.5, 4, 4.5, and 5 parts, etc., and is not specifically limited. The addition of the thermally conductive material improves heating uniformity and heat transfer efficiency.

[0060] This application also provides an aerosol-generating substrate precursor, prepared using the above method. The aerosol-generating substrate precursor comprises the following raw materials by weight: 30-80 parts tobacco and / or aromatic plants, 10-30 parts polyol smoke-generating agent, 0-5 parts binder, 5-20 parts inorganic porous material, and 5-10 parts flavor additive. The carrier material is tobacco and / or aromatic plants. Aerosol-generating substrate products prepared using the aerosol-generating substrate precursor of this application provide a more concentrated aroma in the aerosol, improving the user's taste experience.

[0061] The present application is explained below using specific embodiments.

[0062] Example 1

[0063] An aerosol-generating matrix precursor is prepared by the following method:

[0064] S1. A mixture of 55 parts of tobacco and 10 parts of an aromatic plant (e.g., mint) is subjected to a hammer crushing process until the crushed material has a spindle-shaped and / or rhomboid particle shape, the spindle-shaped and rhomboid particles have an aspect ratio of about 3:1, and the particle size is about 18 μm.

[0065] S2. Place the material obtained by the treatment in step S1 in a vacuum-sealed environment, add an acidic treatment liquid (for example, a benzoic acid solution) so that the end point pH of the treatment system is 6.8; and perform a fragrance-producing treatment by heating at a temperature of 60° C. for 20 minutes.

[0066] S3. Take 3 parts of thermal conductive material and perform a high-temperature impurity removal and expansion process at a heating temperature of 800° C. to obtain a thermal conductive material with a porosity greater than 65%; the thermal conductive material is a mixture of graphite powder and graphene.

[0067] S4. Add 10 parts of an inorganic porous material (e.g., zeolite), 5 parts of a flavor additive (e.g., rose essence), and 2 parts of a binder (e.g., pullulan) to the mixture obtained in S2, add 15 parts of a polyol smoke generator (e.g., glycerin), and adjust the moisture content of the mixture to 20% by adding 10 parts of water. Add the thermal conductive material obtained in step S4, and perform slurry preparation, granulation, and preliminary drying to form base particles with a moisture content of 10%, thereby obtaining an aerosol generating matrix precursor.

[0068] Among them, the aromatic plant can be replaced by at least one of the aromatic plants announced above; the acidic treatment liquid can be replaced by at least one of citric acid, lactic acid, levulinic acid, salicylic acid and tartaric acid, and a mixture with benzoic acid; zeolite can be replaced by at least one of molecular sieves, diatomaceous earth, montmorillonite, alumina, silica gel, activated carbon, calcium silicate, chitosan porous material, cellulose fiber, lignin particles, clay, sepiolite, palygorskite, or a mixture with zeolite; rose essence can be replaced by other essences; pullulan can be replaced by at least one of tamarind polysaccharide and hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, or a mixture with pullulan; glycerin can be replaced by at least one of propylene glycol, butylene glycol and butanetriol, or a mixture with glycerin.

[0069] Example 2

[0070] An aerosol-generating matrix precursor is prepared by the following method:

[0071] S1. A mixture of 20 parts of tobacco and 10 parts of aromatic plants is subjected to impact crushing until the crushed material has a particle shape of spindles and / or rhombuses, the aspect ratio of the spindles and rhombuses is about 4:1, and the particle size is about 50 μm.

[0072] S2. Place the material obtained by the treatment in step S1 in a vacuum-sealed environment, add an acidic treatment liquid (for example, a citric acid solution) so that the end point pH of the treatment system is 6.5; and perform a fragrance-generating treatment by heating at a temperature of 100° C. for 16 minutes.

[0073] S3. Taking 3 portions of electromagnetic induction material and crushing them, the electromagnetic induction material after crushing forms filamentous fibers with a length of about 15 μm, and the electromagnetic induction material is iron.

[0074] S4. Add 15 parts of an inorganic porous material (e.g., zeolite), 7 parts of a flavor additive (e.g., rose essence), and 5 parts of a binder (e.g., pullulan) to the mixture obtained in S2, add 10 parts of a polyol smoke generator (e.g., propylene glycol), and add the electromagnetic induction material obtained in step S3, and perform slurry preparation, granulation, and preliminary drying to form base particles with a moisture content of 20%, thereby obtaining an aerosol generating matrix precursor.

[0075] Example 3

[0076] An aerosol-generating matrix precursor is prepared by the following method:

[0077] S1. A mixture of 40 parts of tobacco and 40 parts of aromatic plants is subjected to impact crushing until the crushed material has a spindle and / or rhomboid particle shape, the spindle and rhomboid aspect ratio is about 5:1, and the particle size is about 100 μm.

[0078] S2. Place the material obtained by the treatment in step S1 in a vacuum-sealed environment, add an acidic treatment liquid (e.g., citric acid solution) so that the end point pH of the treatment system is 7.8; and perform a fragrance-generating treatment by heating at a temperature of 120° C. for 13 minutes.

[0079] S3. Add 20 parts of inorganic porous material (for example, 10 parts of zeolite and 10 parts of montmorillonite), 10 parts of flavor additive (for example, rose essence) and 1 part of adhesive (for example, pullulan) to the mixture obtained in S2, add 30 parts of polyol smoke generating agent (for example, glycerin), and add 4 parts of resistive heating material zirconium oxide, perform slurry preparation, granulation, and preliminary drying to form basic particles with a moisture content of 50%, thereby obtaining an aerosol generation matrix precursor.

[0080] Comparative Example 1

[0081] In Comparative Example 1, except that tobacco and aromatic plants were not subjected to impact crushing treatment in step S1, other steps, process parameters, and proportions were the same as those in Example 1.

[0082] Comparative Example 2

[0083] In Comparative Example 2, except that the material is not subjected to vacuum heating treatment in step S2, other steps, process parameters, and ratios are the same as those in Example 1.

[0084] Comparative Example 3

[0085] In Comparative Example 3, except that the material is not treated with an acidic solution in step S2, other steps, process parameters, and ratios are the same as those in Example 1.

[0086] The aerosol-forming matrix precursors of Example 1 and Comparative Examples 1-3 were prepared into aerosol-forming matrix products using conventional preparation methods. Performance testing and evaluation were then conducted according to ISO 20778-2018 Cigarettes—Conventional analysis of cigarette smoking machines—Definition and standard conditions for an intense smoking regime, YC / T 138 Sensory evaluation methods for tobacco and tobacco products, and YC / T 156 Determination of nicotine in total particulate matter in cigarettes—Gas chromatography method. The test results are shown in Table 1.

[0087] Table 1. Performance test and evaluation results of aerosol-generating matrix products of Example 1 and Comparative Examples 1-3

[0088]

[0089] It can be seen from the test and evaluation results of Example 1 and Comparative Examples 1-3 that the present application performs an impact crushing treatment on tobacco, aromatic plants or a mixture of the two, which facilitates subsequent acid treatment and heating to produce aroma treatment, and then treats the tobacco and / or aromatic plants with an acidic treatment liquid, so that the free nicotine in the tobacco and / or aromatic plants is salted, reducing irritation and improving the taste experience; and heats the aroma production treatment at 60°C-120°C under vacuum conditions, and combines vacuum heating and crushing to hollow out the cells in the tobacco and / or aromatic plants, achieving the purpose of breaking the cell walls and transferring the aroma substances in the cells to the surface. When heated without burning, the aroma is more likely to overflow, the aroma is more fragrant, and the user's taste experience is improved. In contrast, in Comparative Example 1, the tobacco and aromatic plants were not subjected to impact crushing treatment, which was not conducive to the overflow of fragrance and affected the taste during use. In Comparative Example 2, the tobacco and / or aromatic plants were not subjected to heat treatment, and the aromatic substances in the plant cell walls could not be transferred to the surface, which was not conducive to the overflow of fragrance and affected the taste during use. In Comparative Example 3, the tobacco and / or aromatic plants were not subjected to acidic solution treatment, which was highly irritating and affected the taste during use.

Claims

1. A method for preparing an aerosol-generating substrate precursor, characterized in that: The following steps are involved: Taking tobacco and / or aromatic plants and subjecting them to hammer crushing; Aroma production treatment: the material obtained through the crushing treatment is placed in a vacuum sealed environment, an acidic treatment liquid is added, and a heating treatment is performed at a heating temperature of 60°C to 120°C to obtain an aroma-containing material; Inorganic porous material, polyol smoke generating agent, flavor additive and adhesive are added to the obtained aroma material, and neutral solvent is added to prepare slurry, granulate and dry to form an aerosol-generating matrix precursor with viscosity.

2. The method for preparing an aerosol-generating substrate precursor according to claim 1, characterized in that: In the step of taking tobacco and / or aromatic plants for impact crushing, the crushed particles of tobacco, aromatic plants or a mixture of the two are spindle-shaped and / or rhombohedral particles; the aspect ratio of the spindle-shaped and rhombohedral particles is (3-5):

1.

3. The method for preparing an aerosol-generating substrate precursor according to claim 1, characterized in that: In the step of subjecting tobacco and / or aromatic plants to impact crushing, the particle size of the crushed material is 18 μm-100 μm.

4. The method for preparing an aerosol-generating substrate precursor according to claim 1, characterized in that: In the aroma production step, an acidic treatment solution is added so that the end point pH of the treatment system is 6.5 to 7.

8.

5. The method for preparing an aerosol-generating substrate precursor according to claim 1, characterized in that: In the aroma-producing treatment step, the acidic treatment liquid includes at least one of citric acid, benzoic acid, lactic acid, levulinic acid, salicylic acid and tartaric acid.

6. The method for preparing an aerosol-generating substrate precursor according to claim 1, characterized in that: In the aroma production step, the aroma pretreatment is performed until the volume of the aroma-containing material expands by 1.1 to 1.5 times, and the amount of free nicotine dissolved increases by at least 50%.

7. The method for preparing an aerosol-generating substrate precursor according to claim 1, characterized in that: The inorganic porous material includes at least one of zeolite, molecular sieve, diatomaceous earth, montmorillonite, alumina, silica gel, activated carbon, calcium silicate, chitosan porous material, cellulose fiber, lignin particles, clay, sepiolite, palygorskite; and / or, the polyol smoke generating agent includes at least one of glycerol, propylene glycol, butylene glycol and butanetriol; And / or, the flavor additive is a tobacco extract and / or an aromatic plant extract; And / or, the binder includes at least one of pullulan, tamarind polysaccharide and hydroxypropyl methylcellulose.

8. The method for preparing an aerosol-generating substrate precursor according to claim 1, characterized in that: The aerosol-generating substrate precursor comprises the following raw materials in parts by weight: 30-80 parts of tobacco and / or flavor plants, 10-30 parts of polyol smoke generating agent, 0-5 parts of adhesive, 5-20 parts of inorganic porous material, 5-10 parts of flavor additive; and / or, the aerosol generating substrate precursor further comprises 0-8 parts of electromagnetic induction material or 0-8 parts of resistive heating material; And / or, the aerosol-generating substrate precursor further comprises 0-5 parts of a thermally conductive material.

9. The method for preparing an aerosol-generating substrate precursor according to claim 1, characterized in that: The moisture content of the aerosol-generating matrix precursor formed by drying is 10% to 50% by mass.

10. The method for preparing an aerosol-generating substrate precursor according to claim 1, characterized in that: In the step of adding inorganic porous material, polyol smoke generator, flavor additive and adhesive to the obtained aroma-containing material, electromagnetic induction material is also added, and the electromagnetic induction material is at least one of iron, nickel, copper, germanium, carbon, chromium, tin, manganese and aluminum.

11. The method for preparing an aerosol-generating substrate precursor according to claim 10, characterized in that: The particle size of the electromagnetic induction material is 50nm to 1μm; and / or, the preparation method further comprises crushing the electromagnetic induction material, and the electromagnetic induction material after crushing forms filamentous fibers with a length of 10μm to 50μm.

12. The method for preparing an aerosol-generating substrate precursor according to claim 1, characterized in that: In the step of adding inorganic porous material, polyol smoke generator, flavor additive and adhesive to the obtained aroma-containing material, a resistive heating material is also added, and the resistive heating material includes at least one of zirconium oxide, carbon nanotubes, nickel, chromium and iron.

13. The method for preparing an aerosol-generating substrate precursor according to claim 2, characterized in that: In the step of subjecting tobacco and / or aromatic plants to impact crushing, the particle size of the crushed material is 18 μm-100 μm.

14. The method for preparing an aerosol-generating substrate precursor according to claim 2, characterized in that: In the aroma production step, an acidic treatment solution is added so that the end point pH of the treatment system is 6.5 to 7.

8.

15. The method for preparing an aerosol-generating substrate precursor according to claim 13, characterized in that: In the aroma production step, the aroma pretreatment is performed until the volume of the aroma-containing material expands by 1.1 to 1.5 times, and the amount of free nicotine dissolved increases by at least 50%.

16. The method for preparing an aerosol-generating substrate precursor according to claim 2, characterized in that: The aerosol-generating substrate precursor comprises the following raw materials in parts by weight: 30-80 parts of tobacco and / or flavor plants, 10-30 parts of polyol smoke generating agent, 0-5 parts of adhesive, 5-20 parts of inorganic porous material, 5-10 parts of flavor additive; and / or, the aerosol generating substrate precursor further comprises 0-8 parts of electromagnetic induction material or 0-8 parts of resistive heating material; And / or, the aerosol-generating substrate precursor further comprises 0-5 parts of a thermally conductive material.

17. A method for preparing an aerosol-generating substrate precursor according to any one of claims 1 to 16, characterized in that: In the step of adding the inorganic porous material, the polyol smoke generating agent, the flavor additive and the adhesive to the obtained aroma-containing material, a heat-conducting material that has been subjected to a high-temperature impurity removal treatment is also added; The thermally conductive material is at least one of iron powder, copper powder, graphite powder, graphene, boron nitride, aluminum oxide, and carbon powder, and / or the thermal conductivity of the thermally conductive material is 1W / mk to 500W / mk, and / or the particle size of the thermally conductive material is 20nm-2μm, and / or the temperature of the high-temperature impurity removal treatment is 800°C to 1500°C.

18. A method for preparing an aerosol-generating substrate precursor, characterized in that: The following steps are involved: Taking tobacco and / or aromatic plants and subjecting them to impact crushing treatment, the crushed particles of tobacco, aromatic plants or a mixture of the two are spindle-shaped and / or multi-rhombus-shaped particles; Aroma production treatment: the material obtained through the crushing treatment is placed in a vacuum sealed environment, an acidic treatment liquid is added, and a heating treatment is performed at a heating temperature of 60-120°C to obtain an aroma-containing material; Inorganic porous materials, polyol smoke generating agents, flavor additives and adhesives are added to the obtained aroma-containing materials, and neutral solvents are added to prepare slurries, granulate and dry the slurries to form an aerosol-generating matrix precursor with a moisture mass percentage of 10-50% and viscosity.

19. An aerosol-generating substrate precursor, characterized in that The aerosol-generating matrix precursor is prepared by the preparation method according to any one of claims 1 to 18, and comprises components: a carrier material, an inorganic porous material, a polyol smoke-generating agent, a flavor additive and an adhesive, and the carrier material is tobacco and / or an aromatic plant.

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