Preparation method of functional part, functional part prepared by preparation method and aerosol generating product

Abstract

The invention discloses a preparation method of a functional part, the functional part prepared through the preparation method and an aerosol generating product, and the preparation method comprises the steps that plant raw materials are subjected to loosening treatment in a steam atmosphere, so that cell walls of the plant raw materials are broken, and plant fibers are softened; and forming the loosened plant raw material to form the functional part. According to the scheme, the functional part is prepared from the plant raw materials, and compared with a high polymer material, the plant raw materials are natural materials, so that the problem of degradation does not exist, and the problem of pollution to the environment is avoided.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention generally relates to the technical field of smoking products, and in particular to a method for preparing a functional part and a functional part and an aerosol generating product prepared therefrom. Background Art

[0002] Existing heat-not-burn aerosol generating products mainly include a medium section, a cooling section and a filtering section which are arranged in sequence, wherein the medium section is used to generate aerosol, and the cooling section is used to allow the aerosol to pass through and reduce the temperature of the aerosol so that the aerosol can reach a suitable temperature when entering the consumer's mouth through the filtering section.

[0003] However, in the prior art, a condensation fixture is generally provided in the cooling section to cool the aerosol, and the condensation fixture is mostly made of polymer materials, which are difficult to degrade and cause environmental pollution. Summary of the invention

[0004] The present application hopes to provide a method for preparing a functional part and the functional part and aerosol generating product prepared therefrom, which are at least used to solve the problem in the prior art that the condensation firmware is made of polymer materials, is difficult to degrade, and pollutes the environment.

[0005] In a first aspect, the present invention provides a method for preparing a functional part suitable for an aerosol generating product, wherein the functional part comprises a main body, the main body is a columnar body or a spherical body, and an air flow channel is provided on the inner and / or outer side walls of the main body; the preparation method comprises the following steps:

[0006] The plant material is loosened in a steam atmosphere to break the cell walls of the plant material and soften the plant fibers;

[0007] The plant material after the loosening process is molded to form the functional part.

[0008] As an achievable manner, the preparation method further comprises: drying the formed functional part until the moisture content of the functional part is 5% to 13.5%.

[0009] As an achievable manner, the functional component is dried by microwave drying and / or infrared drying.

[0010] As an implementable manner, the pressure of the steam atmosphere is 0.1 bar to 5 bar, and the temperature is 20° C. to 152° C.

[0011] As an achievable manner, the loosening treatment time is 30 min-180 min.

[0012] As an implementable manner, the thermal conductivity of the functional component is 900 W / (m·k) to 4300 W / (m·k).

[0013] As an implementable manner, the specific heat capacity of the functional component is 2.3 kj / (kg·℃) to 3.8 kj / (kg·℃).

[0014] As an implementable manner, the void ratio of the functional component is 0.3-0.7.

[0015] As an achievable embodiment, the plant raw material is at least one of the roots, stems, leaves, flowers, fruits and extracts thereof of a plant.

[0016] As an achievable manner, the plant raw material is selected from hemp plants and / or solanaceae plants.

[0017] In a second aspect, the present invention provides a functional part for an aerosol generating product, which is prepared by the above-mentioned preparation method.

[0018] As an implementable manner, the main body is a columnar body, the outer diameter of the columnar body is 4.5 mm to 9 mm, and the length is 3 mm to 20 mm; or,

[0019] The main body is a spherical body, and the diameter of the spherical body is 3mm to 9mm.

[0020] In a third aspect, the present invention provides an aerosol generating product, comprising a medium section, a cooling section and a filtering section arranged in sequence; the cooling section is provided with the functional parts as described above.

[0021] The above solution uses plant raw materials to prepare functional parts. Compared with the use of polymer materials, plant raw materials are natural materials, which will not have the problem of degradation and will not cause pollution to the environment. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] Other features, objects and advantages of the present application will become more apparent by reading the detailed description of non-limiting embodiments made with reference to the following drawings:

[0023] Figure 1 A flow chart of a method for preparing a functional component suitable for an aerosol generating product provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the structure of the functional components provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the structure of a functional component provided by another embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the structure of a functional component provided by another embodiment of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the structure of an aerosol generating product provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 6 for Figure 5 AA section view. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] The present application is further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It is to be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the relevant invention, rather than to limit the invention. It is also necessary to explain that, for ease of description, only the parts related to the invention are shown in the accompanying drawings.

[0030] It should be noted that, in the absence of conflict, the embodiments and features in the embodiments of the present application can be combined with each other. The present application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and in combination with the embodiments.

[0031] At least see Figure 1 As shown, an embodiment of the present invention provides a method for preparing a functional part, wherein the functional part includes a main body, the main body is a columnar body or a spherical body, and an air flow channel is arranged on the inner and / or outer side walls of the main body; wherein the cross-section of the columnar body can be circular, rectangular, square, polygonal, etc., and the specific shape of the columnar body is not uniquely limited here. In the following example, the cross-section of the columnar body is circular; the spherical body can be a sphere, an ellipsoid, etc.

[0032] The functional parts involved in this article are used in aerosol generating products, which can be, but are not limited to, arranged inside the consumables of the aerosol generating products, and can at least play at least one of the following roles: cooling, filtering, blocking, and flavoring. For example, when it plays a blocking role, it is located at the bottom of the tobacco segment of the aerosol generating product to prevent the tobacco segment from falling off, and can absorb condensed liquid to prevent the condensed liquid from contaminating the heating device.

[0033] The preparation method comprises the following steps:

[0034] S10: loosening the plant material under a steam atmosphere to break the cell walls of the plant material and soften the plant fibers;

[0035] The loosening treatment mentioned here refers to placing the raw material in a steam atmosphere of predetermined pressure and temperature and heating it for a predetermined period of time. In this example, the raw material used is plant material.

[0036] By loosening the plant raw materials, the cell walls of the plants in the plant raw materials can be broken (damaged) and the plant fibers can be softened. Generally, the degree of softening is positively correlated with the temperature of the steam and the heating time.

[0037] The steam here may refer to water vapor. In other examples, the steam of other materials (medium) may also be used.

[0038] After the cell walls of the plant raw materials are broken, the aroma components in the plant raw material cells can be released to achieve the effect of enhancing the fragrance; the aroma components can reduce or eliminate the impurities generated during the aerosol generation process (such as the impurities brought by the fiber paper, silica gel and other materials used in aerosol generation products) to improve and enhance the user's experience during the inhalation process.

[0039] In addition, the plant fibers of the plant raw materials are softened, which is conducive to molding them to form functional parts of desired shapes.

[0040] It should also be noted that by using different types of plant materials and the proportions of plant components in the plant materials, different aroma characteristics can be given to the functional component.

[0041] The plant material used in the loosening treatment in this article can be fresh plant material or dried plant material.

[0042] In order to facilitate storage and maintain a high aroma component retention rate in plant materials, fresh plants can generally be dried to a moisture content of 5%-20%. When the moisture content of the dried plant material is lower than 5%, the aroma cost retention rate in the plant material is low, and the aroma enhancement effect of the functional part will decrease after processing and molding; when the moisture content of the dried plant material is higher than 20%, it is easy to be infested by insects, mold, yellow spots, etc. during storage, resulting in waste of plant materials.

[0043] Preferably, the moisture content of the dried plant material is 6% to 10%, which can prevent insect infestation, mildew, yellow spots and the like from occurring during storage, and can also allow the plant material to have a higher aroma component retention rate.

[0044] S20: forming the plant material after the loosening process to form the functional part.

[0045] The loosened plant raw materials can be made into functional parts of desired shapes by means of stamping, puffing and the like.

[0046] The above scheme uses plant materials to prepare functional parts. Compared with polymer materials, plant materials are natural materials, which do not have the problem of degradation and will not pollute the environment. Generally, the decomposition time of the functional parts under natural conditions is 90 to 180 days, while the decomposition time of polymer materials ranges from several years to hundreds of years.

[0047] As an achievable manner, the preparation method further includes: drying the formed functional component until the moisture content of the functional component is 5% to 13.5%, so that the functional component can be stored for a long time and a high aroma component retention rate of the plant material in the functional component can be maintained.

[0048] As a preferred implementation, the water content of the functional part is 7.5% to 12%.

[0049] For example but not limited to 7.7%, 7.9%, 8%, 8.5%, 8.8%, 9.1%, 9.7%, 10%, 10.6%, 11.2%, 11.4%, etc.

[0050] As an achievable manner, the functional component is dried by microwave drying and / or infrared drying.

[0051] As an achievable manner, the pressure of the steam atmosphere during the loosening process is 0.1 bar to 5 bar, and the temperature is 20° C. to 152° C.

[0052] When the steam pressure is lower than 0.1 bar and the temperature is lower than 20°C, it takes a long time to loosen the internal structure of the plant material (low efficiency), that is, it takes a long time for the cell walls of the plant in the plant material to rupture (break) and the plant fiber to soften, which affects the processing process; when the steam pressure is higher than 5 bar and the temperature is higher than 152°C, the equipment used for loosening must withstand a high pressure value, the equipment investment cost is high, and the economic benefits are reduced. This solution adopts the above pressure range and temperature range, and achieves cost reduction while achieving efficiency.

[0053] As a preferred implementation, the pressure during the loosening process is 0.3 bar to 4 bar, and the temperature is 29° C. to 144° C.

[0054] For example, but not limited to, the pressure is 0.3 bar, 0.6 bar, 1 bar, 1.2 bar, 1.7 bar, 2.1 bar, 2.3 bar, 2.5 bar, 2.7 bar, 3 bar, 3.3 bar, 3.3 bar, etc.; the temperature is 31°C, 38°C, 44°C, 51°C, 55°C, 60°C, 67°C, 85°C, 90°C, 100°C, 115°C, 122°C, etc.

[0055] As an achievable method, the time for the loosening treatment is 30 minutes to 180 minutes. When the loosening treatment time is less than 30 minutes, the internal cell structure of the plant material is not easy to open, that is, the cell wall rupture rate is low, resulting in insufficient aroma release ability when the functional part is used; when the loosening treatment time is higher than 180 minutes, the internal fibers of the plant material are overly softened, resulting in insufficient shaping ability of the functional part after molding. This scheme adopts the above-mentioned loosening treatment time range, which satisfies the need for the internal cell structure of the plant material to open, while also ensuring that the functional part has good shaping ability after molding.

[0056] For example, but not limited to, the time for the loosening treatment can be 33 min, 38 min, 40 min, 45 min, 58 min, 61 min, 70 min, 85 min, 110 min, 130 min, 155 min, etc.

[0057] As an achievable method, the thermal conductivity of the functional part is 900W / (m·k) to 4300W / (m·k). When the thermal conductivity of the functional part is less than 900W / (m·k), during use, the functional part has a weak ability to absorb heat from the aerosol, resulting in a decrease in the cooling ability. When the thermal conductivity of the functional part is higher than 4300W / (m·k), the aerosol is prone to condensation when passing through the functional part, resulting in a decrease in the utilization rate of the medium / raw material. Therefore, this solution adopts the above thermal conductivity, which can avoid condensation of the aerosol while satisfying the cooling of the aerosol, which is beneficial to ensure the utilization rate of the medium / raw material.

[0058] As a preferred implementation, the thermal conductivity is 1100 W / (m·k) to 4000 W / (m·k).

[0059] For example, but not limited to, the thermal conductivity of the functional parts is 1150W / (m·k), 1300W / (m·k), 1800W / (m·k), 2000W / (m·k), 2180W / (m·k), 2700W / (m·k), 2910W / (m·k), 3200W / (m·k), 3600W / (m·k), and 3870W / (m·k).

[0060] As an achievable method, the specific heat capacity of the functional part is 2.3kj / (kg·℃) to 3.8kj / (kg·℃). When the specific heat capacity of the functional part is lower than 2.3kj / (kg·℃), the functional part is easy to reach a state of equilibrium with the aerosol temperature during use, which is not conducive to the early cooling of the aerosol; when the specific heat capacity of the functional part is higher than 3.8kj / (kg·℃), it is difficult for the functional part to reach a state of equilibrium with the aerosol temperature during use, resulting in aerosol condensation and thus a decrease in aerosol utilization; therefore, this solution adopts the above-mentioned specific heat capacity range, which meets the needs of aerosol cooling and avoids aerosol condensation, thereby ensuring the utilization rate of aerosol.

[0061] As a preferred implementation, the specific heat capacity is 2.5 kj / (kg·℃) to 3.6 kj / (kg·℃).

[0062] For example, but not limited to, the specific heat capacity of the functional parts is 2.55 kj / (kg·℃), 2.6 kj / (kg·℃), 2.69 kj / (kg·℃), 2.7 kj / (kg·℃), 2.83 kj / (kg·℃), 2.9 kj / (kg·℃), 3 kj / (kg·℃), 3.5 kj / (kg·℃), etc.

[0063] As an implementable manner, the void fraction of the functional component is 0.3 to 0.7.

[0064] The porosity refers to the percentage of the volume of voids in the pile under natural stacking conditions to the volume of the loose material under natural conditions.

[0065] When the porosity of the functional part is lower than 0.3, the inner wall of the functional part is relatively tight, which is not conducive to the heat exchange between the aerosol and the functional part, and will cause the overall suction resistance of the functional part to increase. When the porosity of the functional part is higher than 0.7, the inside of the functional part is relatively loose, which is easy to increase aerosol retention, resulting in a decrease in aerosol utilization. Therefore, this scheme adopts the above-mentioned porosity range, which can ensure the utilization of the aerosol while meeting the requirements of heat exchange and suction resistance.

[0066] As a preferred implementation, the porosity is 0.35 to 0.6.

[0067] For example, but not limited to, the void fraction is 0.36, 0.45, 0.48, 0.49, 0.51, 0.55, 0.57, 0.58, 0.59, etc.

[0068] As an achievable embodiment, the plant raw material is at least any one of the plant's roots, stems, leaves, flowers, fruits, and extracts thereof.

[0069] As an implementation method, the plant raw material is selected from hemp plants and / or solanaceae plants. The preparation method of the present invention is exemplified below with several specific implementation methods.

[0070] Example 1

[0071] At least see also Figure 2As shown, the stems and leaves of hemp plants are used as plant raw materials, and the ratio of leaves to stems is 0.5:1 by weight. After the leaves and stems are evenly mixed, they are loosened in a steam atmosphere, wherein the pressure of the steam atmosphere is 0.7 bar, the temperature is 90°C, and the loosening time is 60 minutes. The loosened plant material is placed in a mold for stamping to obtain a functional part of a corresponding structure, and microwave drying is used to reduce the moisture content of the functional part to 7.5-10%. In this example, the main body 11 of the functional part 1 is a circular tubular structure, and the central hole 12 of the circular tubular structure serves as an airflow channel. In this example, the length of the functional part 1 is 15 mm, the outer diameter is 7.2 mm, the wall thickness is 1.5 mm, the thermal conductivity is 1929 W / (m·k), the specific heat capacity is: 2.9 kj / (kg·℃), and the porosity is 0.45.

[0072] Example 2

[0073] At least see also Figure 3 As shown, the roots, stems and leaves of hemp plants are used as plant raw materials, and the ratio of roots, stems and leaves is 0.1:0.3:0.5 by weight, wherein the plant raw materials are dried plant raw materials with a moisture content of 5% to 7%; the roots, stems and leaves are mixed evenly and then loosened in a steam atmosphere, wherein the pressure of the steam atmosphere is 0.5 bar, the temperature is 110°C, and the loosening time is 30 minutes. The loosened plant material is placed in a mold for stamping to obtain a functional part of a corresponding structure, and infrared drying is used to reduce the moisture content of the functional part to 6.5 to 8.5%. In this example, the main body 11 of the functional part 1 is a cylindrical structure with a length of 10 mm and an outer diameter of 7 mm. Five through holes 13 with a diameter of 0.3 mm are arranged in the cylindrical structure as air flow channels. The thermal conductivity of the functional part is 2230 W / (m·k), the specific heat capacity is 3.3 kj / (kg·℃), and the porosity is 0.53.

[0074] Example 3

[0075] At least see also Figure 4As shown, the roots, stems and leaves of Solanaceae plants are used as plant raw materials, and the ratio of roots, stems, flowers and leaves is 0.1:0.3:0.1:0.5 by weight, wherein the plant raw materials are dried plant raw materials with a moisture content of 5% to 7%; the roots, stems, flowers and leaves are mixed evenly and then loosened in a steam atmosphere, wherein the pressure of the steam atmosphere is 0.8 bar, the temperature is 40°C, and the loosening time is 60 minutes. The loosened plant material is placed in a mold for stamping to obtain a functional part of a corresponding structure, and microwave drying is used to reduce the moisture content of the functional part to 9.5 to 13.5%. In this example, the functional part 1 is a circular tube structure with a length of 7 mm, an outer diameter of 6.2 mm, a center hole 12 with an inner diameter of 5.8 mm, and four arc grooves 14 evenly arranged on the outer wall. The center hole 12 of the circular tube structure and the four arc grooves 14 serve as air flow channels; the thermal conductivity of the functional part 1 is 3150 W / (m·k), the specific heat capacity is: 3.1 kj / (kg·℃), and the porosity is 0.59.

[0076] On the second hand, see at least Figure 2-Figure 4 As shown in any of the accompanying drawings, the present invention provides a functional part 1 for an aerosol generating product, which is prepared by the above-mentioned preparation method.

[0077] As an implementable manner, the main body is a columnar body, the outer diameter of the columnar body is 4.5 mm to 9 mm, and the length is 3 mm to 20 mm; or,

[0078] The main body is a spherical body, and the diameter of the spherical body is 3mm to 9mm.

[0079] It should be noted that when the functional part is in use, it can be shortened and used, or more than one can be used at a time, depending on the size of the aerosol generating product. For example, in some aerosol generating products, it can only accommodate functional parts with a length of 10 mm. If the functional part of the above example 1 is used, it needs to be shortened to 10 mm for use; in other aerosol generating products, it can accommodate functional parts with a length of 12 mm. If the functional part of the above example 3 is used, one and a half functional parts are required, and the half-functional part here is 2 mm cut off from the whole part.

[0080] Thirdly, see at least Figure 5 , Figure 6 As shown, the present invention provides an aerosol generating product, comprising a medium section 3, a cooling section and a filtering section 2 arranged in sequence; the cooling section is provided with the functional part 1 as described above.

[0081] Among them, the medium section 3, the cooling section and the filtering section 2 can be tightly connected, that is, the two ends of the cooling section are in contact with the medium section 3 and the filtering section 2 respectively. Figure 5 shown.

[0082] In other embodiments, the medium segment 3, the cooling segment and the filtering segment 2 are not tightly connected, that is, there is a gap between one or both ends of the cooling segment and the medium segment 3 and / or the filtering segment 2, such as Figure 6 shown.

[0083] The following is a comparison between the three aerosol generating products provided by the present invention and an existing product to more clearly understand the advantages of using the functional parts provided by the present invention.

[0084] The three aerosol generating products provided by the present invention are respectively referred to as Product 1, Product 2 and Product 3; the existing product is referred to as a comparative product, which may be an existing commercially available product.

[0085] The product 1 adopts the functional part 1 provided in the above-mentioned example 1, and the length of the functional part 1 adopted is 10 mm; in addition, the length of the medium segment is 12 mm, and the length of the filter segment is 7 mm.

[0086] Product 2 uses the functional part 1 provided in the above-mentioned Example 2, and the length of the functional part 1 used is 10 mm; in addition, the length of the medium segment is 15 mm, and the length of the filter segment is 6 mm.

[0087] Product 3 adopts the functional part 1 provided in the above-mentioned Example 3, and the length of the functional part 1 adopted is 12 mm; in addition, the length of the medium segment is 24 mm, and the length of the filter segment is 6 mm.

[0088] According to YC / T138-1998 sensory evaluation standard for tobacco and tobacco products, a smoking evaluation team consisting of 15 smoking evaluation experts was organized to evaluate Product 1, Product 2, Product 3 and the comparison product and test the resistance to draw index. The evaluation and test results are detailed in Table 1 below.

[0089]

[0090] Table 1

[0091] It is not difficult to see from Table 1 that compared with existing commercial products, the aerosol generating product using the functional part 1 of the present invention has significantly improved performance in terms of smoke volume, smoke smoothness, uniformity, smoke temperature, inhalation resistance, etc., and the overall sensory quality is also significantly improved.

[0092] It should be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside" and the like used above to indicate orientations or positional relationships are based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as limiting the present invention. In addition, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Thus, the features defined as "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features. In the description of the present invention, unless otherwise specified, "multiple" means two or more.

[0093] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present application and an explanation of the technical principles used. Those skilled in the art should understand that the scope of the invention involved in the present application is not limited to the technical solution formed by a specific combination of the above technical features, but should also cover other technical solutions formed by any combination of the above technical features or their equivalent features without departing from the inventive concept. For example, the above features are replaced with the technical features with similar functions disclosed in this application (but not limited to) by each other.

Claims

1. A method for preparing a functional part suitable for an aerosol generating product, wherein the functional part comprises a main body, the main body is a columnar body or a spherical body, and an air flow channel is provided on the inner and / or outer side walls of the main body; characterized in that: The preparation method comprises the following steps: The plant material is loosened in a steam atmosphere to break the cell walls of the plant material and soften the plant fibers; The plant material after the loosening process is molded to form the functional part.

2. The preparation method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The formed functional part is dried until the water content of the functional part is 5% to 13.5%.

3. The preparation method according to claim 2, characterized in that: The functional component is dried by microwave drying and / or infrared drying.

4. The preparation method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The steam atmosphere has a pressure of 0.1 bar to 5 bar and a temperature of 20° C. to 152° C.

5. The preparation method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The time of the loosening treatment is 30min-180min.

6. The preparation method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The thermal conductivity of the functional part is 900W / (m·k) to 4300W / (m·k).

7. The preparation method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The specific heat capacity of the functional component is 2.3 kj / (kg·℃) to 3.8 kj / (kg·℃).

8. The preparation method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The void ratio of the functional part is 0.3-0.

7.

9. The preparation method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The plant raw material is at least one of the plant's roots, stems, leaves, flowers, fruits and extracts thereof.

10. The preparation method according to claim 9, characterized in that: The plant raw material is selected from hemp plants and / or solanaceae plants.

11. A functional part for an aerosol generating product, characterized in that: The invention is prepared by the preparation method according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

12. The functional part according to claim 11, characterized in that: The main body is a columnar body, the outer diameter of the columnar body is 4.5mm to 9mm, and the length is 3mm to 20mm; or, The main body is a spherical body, and the diameter of the spherical body is 3mm to 9mm.

13. An aerosol generating product, comprising a medium section, a cooling section and a filtering section arranged in sequence; characterized in that: The cooling section is provided with the functional parts as claimed in claim 11 or 12.

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