Aerosol generating system and method for operating the aerosol generating system

Abstract

An aerosol generating system (100) is provided for generating an inhalable aerosol from an aerosol-forming substrate (21). The aerosol generating system comprises a lithium-ion battery (12). The battery comprises a cathode (122), the cathode comprising a cathode active material (1222). The cathode active material comprises at least one compound selected from a first group of compounds and at least one compound selected from a second group of compounds. The first group of compounds comprises lithium iron manganese phosphate, lithium iron phosphate, or a combination thereof. The second group of compounds comprises lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide, lithium nickel cobalt aluminum oxide, lithium cobalt oxide, or a combination thereof.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This disclosure relates to an aerosol generating system and a method for operating an aerosol generating system. This disclosure also relates to the use of lithium-ion batteries in an aerosol generating system. [Background technology]

[0002] Aerosol generation systems, including aerosol generators configured to generate aerosols from aerosol-forming substrates such as tobacco-containing substrates, are known in the art. To provide portability, it is known that such aerosol generators may incorporate their own onboard power sources, such as batteries. For such aerosol generators, it is known that heat is used as a mechanism for releasing volatile compounds from the aerosol-forming substrate, with a battery providing the electrical energy necessary to drive a heating process. The temperature required to release volatile compounds from the aerosol-forming substrate can exceed 300 degrees Celsius. When the aerosol-forming substrate is in liquid form, aerosols are also known to be generated by bringing the substrate into contact with a vibrating membrane, with a battery providing the energy necessary to generate a drive signal to induce vibration. Usage sessions for consumable aerosol-generating articles containing aerosol-forming substrates are of finite length, typically several minutes. Whether heat or vibration is used as a mechanism for generating aerosols from the aerosol-forming substrate, the battery used to provide the electrical energy necessary to drive the aerosol generation process needs to deliver a large amount of energy in a short time. Furthermore, it is desirable that the battery has sufficient capacity to satisfy the energy requirements of the aerosol generator for at least one usage session.

[0003] Similarly, aerosol generating systems that include a charger for charging the battery of the aerosol generator are also known. To provide portability, such chargers are known to incorporate their own onboard power source, such as a battery. When a charger is connected to an aerosol generator, each having its own battery, the power from the charger's battery can be used to charge the battery of the aerosol generator.

[0004] As described above, if a rechargeable battery is used in either an aerosol generator or a charger, the long-term performance of the device or charger will be limited by the battery's capacity, which progressively decreases with the number of charge cycles. If the device or charger is compact in size, the size and capacity of the battery used in such a device or charger will be reduced accordingly, thereby requiring more frequent recharging. The maximum number of charge cycles that a rechargeable battery can withstand while maintaining a certain level of performance is called the battery's "cycle life." The level of performance may also be quantified in terms of the battery's energy capacity when fully charged.

[0005] It is desirable to provide an aerosol generation system with an improved power supply. [Overview of the project]

[0006] According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, an aerosol generating system is provided for generating an inhalable aerosol from an aerosol-forming substrate. The aerosol generating system comprises a lithium-ion battery. The battery comprises a cathode, the cathode comprising a cathode active material. The cathode active material comprises at least one compound selected from a first group of compounds, the first group of compounds comprising at least one compound including lithium iron manganese phosphate (LMFP), lithium iron phosphate (LFP), or a combination thereof, and at least one compound selected from a second group of compounds, the second group of compounds comprising at least one compound including lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide (NMC), lithium nickel cobalt aluminum oxide (NCA), lithium cobalt oxide (LCO), or a combination thereof.

[0007] The first and second groups of compounds are suitable materials for use as active ingredients in cathode active materials.

[0008] Lithium-ion batteries are particularly suitable for aerosol generators due to their high energy density and low self-discharge characteristics. The use of cathode active materials containing both lithium manganese iron phosphate (LMFP) and at least one compound from the second group defined above can facilitate providing batteries with improved cycle life. Improved cycle life means that after a given number of charge cycles, the battery retains a greater proportion of the capacity it had when in "nearly new" condition. Lithium manganese iron phosphate (LMFP) is an evolution of lithium iron phosphate (LFP), and both have similar physical properties. Therefore, it is natural that the use of cathode active materials containing either lithium iron phosphate or lithium manganese iron phosphate (from the first group of compounds) can provide batteries with similar performance characteristics. Regarding the second group of compounds, lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide (NMC), lithium nickel cobalt aluminum oxide (NCA), and lithium cobalt oxide (LCO) each facilitate the enhancement of the battery's energy density. Lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide (NMC), lithium nickel cobalt aluminum oxide (NCA), and lithium cobalt oxide (LCO) offer similar nominal voltages.

[0009] A "charge cycle" refers to the period of use in which a battery is fully charged, fully discharged, and then fully recharged; the term "charge / discharge cycle" may be used instead of the term "charge cycle." When referring to battery capacity, the term "capacity" is the maximum amount of charge that a battery can store, and capacity is commonly expressed in units of ampere-hours (Ah).

[0010] In preferred embodiments, the cathode active material comprises lithium manganese iron phosphate (LMFP) and lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide (NMC). As will be discussed in more detail in the following paragraphs, the use of cathode active materials comprising lithium manganese iron phosphate and lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide has been found to provide the battery with improved cycle life.

[0011] The cathode may form part of an individual cell of the battery. The battery may have a single cell or multiple cells. If the battery has multiple cells, the cathode of each cell may incorporate the cathode active material as defined above.

[0012] The cathode may further comprise a cathode current collector. The cathode current collector may contain aluminum or another suitable material. The cathode current collector may be in the form of foil and / or have a mesh structure.

[0013] Conveniently, the cathode active material coating may be disposed on the surface of the cathode current collector. Preferably, the coating can be applied directly to the surface of the cathode current collector.

[0014] Advantageously, the cathode active material may comprise a first layer and a second layer, the first layer being applied to the surface of the cathode current collector and the second layer being applied on top of the first layer. The first and second layers may have distinct material compositions. One of the first and second layers may comprise at least one compound from the first group of lithium iron manganese phosphate (LMFP), lithium iron phosphate (LFP), or combinations thereof. The other of the first and second layers may comprise at least one compound selected from the second group of lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide (NMC), lithium nickel cobalt aluminum oxide (NCA), lithium cobalt oxide (LCO), or combinations thereof. The first layer may be applied directly to the surface of the cathode current collector. Preferably, the second layer is applied directly to the first layer, thereby bringing the first and second layers into surface contact with each other.

[0015] The cathode active material may contain lithium iron manganese phosphate and lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide. Preferably, the weight ratio of lithium iron manganese phosphate to lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide in the cathode active material can be in the range of 1:9 to 9:1, or 3:7 to 7:3, or 3:7 to 5:5.

[0016] The cathode active material is LiMn i Fe 1-i PO4 may contain lithium iron manganese phosphate, where i is in the range of 0 to 1. Preferably, i is in the range of 0.5 to 0.7. The cathode active material is LiNi p Co q Mn r The O2 may further contain lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide, where p is in the range of 0.4 to 0.6, q is in the range of 0.1 to 0.3, r is in the range of 0.2 to 0.4, and p + q + r = 1. In one preferred embodiment, p has a value of 0.5, q has a value of 0.2, and r has a value of 0.3.

[0017] In another embodiment, the cathode active material may include lithium iron phosphate (LFP) (instead of lithium iron manganese phosphate) and lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide (NMC).

[0018] The battery may contain an electrolyte containing a lithium salt. The lithium salt may function as a source of lithium ions for the battery. The lithium salt may preferably contain or consist of LiPF6.

[0019] Preferably, the cathode active material may further contain a solvent, a binder, a conductive agent, and a stabilizer.

[0020] The solvent may be aqueous or non-aqueous. The solvent may contain one or more of the following: N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP), dimethylformamide (DMF), dimethylacetamide, N,N-dimethylaminopropylamine, ethylene oxide, and tetrahydrofuran (THF).

[0021] The binder can facilitate the mixing of the components of the cathode active material into a paste or slurry. The binder can also facilitate the adhesion of the cathode active material to the cathode current collector. The binder may contain one or more of the following: polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), polyhexafluoropropylene-polyvinylidene fluoride copolymer, poly(vinyl acetate), polyvinyl alcohol, polyethylene oxide (PEO), polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), alkylated polyethylene oxide, polyvinyl ether (PVE), poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), poly(ethyl acrylate) (PEA), polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyacrylonitrile (PAN), polyvinylpyridine, styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR), and acrylonitrile-butadiene rubber. The binder may be present in the cathode active material at a concentration of 0.1% to 30% by weight, or preferably 1% to 10% by weight, of the cathode active material.

[0022] The conductive agent may include one or more of a graphite agent, a carbon black agent, a metal, and a metal compound agent. When the conductive agent includes a graphite agent, the graphite agent may include one or more of artificial graphite and natural graphite. When the conductive agent includes a carbon black agent, the carbon black agent may include one or more of acetylene black, ketjen black, denka black, thermal black, and channel black. When the conductive agent includes a metal or a metal compound agent, the metal or the metal compound agent may include one or more of Sn, SnO2, SnPO4, TiO2, KTiO3, LaSrCoO3, and LaSrMnO3. The conductive agent may be present in the cathode active material at a concentration of 0.1% to 10% by weight of the cathode active material. Limiting the concentration of the conductive agent to 10% by weight or less of the cathode active material may be beneficial from the perspective of the energy density per unit weight. Maintaining the concentration of the conductive agent at 0.1% by weight or more of the cathode active material may be beneficial for enhancing the electrochemical properties of the cathode active material.

[0023] The stabilizer may include one or more of carboxymethyl cellulose, hydroxymethyl cellulose, hydroxyethyl cellulose, and hydroxypropyl cellulose.

[0024] The aerosol generating system may include an anode active material including graphite, carbon, silicon, or a combination thereof.

[0025] Advantageously, the lithium ion battery may be a rechargeable battery.

[0026] The system preferably includes at least one of an aerosol generating device and a charger for charging the power source of the aerosol generating device. When the system includes an aerosol generating device, the battery may form part of the aerosol generating device. The battery may provide power to support the function of the aerosol generating device when generating an aerosol inhalable from the aerosol forming substrate. When the system includes a charger, the battery may form part of the charger.

[0027] In an embodiment where the battery forms part of the aerosol generator, the aerosol generator may comprise an electrical heating arrangement and control electronics configured to control the supply of electricity from the battery to the heating arrangement. In one embodiment, the electrical heating arrangement may comprise a resistive heating element. In another embodiment, the electrical heating arrangement may comprise an inductor configured to induce eddy currents into a susceptor. The susceptor may form part of the electrical heating arrangement of the device. Alternatively, the susceptor may form part of an aerosol generating article for use with the aerosol generator, the article containing an aerosol forming substrate. The susceptor may be embedded within the aerosol forming substrate. The control electronics may be configured to provide a continuous or intermittent supply of electricity to the heating arrangement over a usage session. Alternatively, the control electronics may be configured to provide a pulsed supply of electricity to the heating arrangement over a usage session.

[0028] The aerosol generator may comprise a membrane for releasing aerosol through vibration of the membrane from an aerosol forming substrate. An actuator may be connected to the membrane. The aerosol generator may further comprise control electronics configured to control the supply of electricity from the battery to the actuator to drive vibration of the membrane. In some embodiments, the membrane may be provided as an alternative to the use of an electrical heating arrangement, and in other embodiments, the membrane may be provided in addition to the electrical heating arrangement. The battery may form part of the aerosol generator.

[0029] The aerosol generator may be configured to receive an aerosol generating article containing an aerosol forming substrate.

[0030] Preferably, the aerosol generator may be configured to be of a size and mass that is portable. Advantageously, the aerosol generator may generally be elongate, and by way of example, the aerosol generator may generally be cylindrical.

[0031] The battery may form part of the charger. The charger may include control electronics configured to operate in a first mode and a second mode, respectively. The first mode may be configured to discharge the battery in order to charge the corresponding battery of the aerosol generator. The second mode may be configured to charge the charger's battery from an external power source.

[0032] Another aspect of the present disclosure provides a method for operating an aerosol generating system for generating an inhalable aerosol from an aerosol-forming substrate. The aerosol generating system comprises a lithium-ion battery. The battery comprises a cathode, the cathode comprising a cathode active material. The cathode active material comprises at least one compound selected from a first group of compounds, the first group of compounds comprising lithium iron manganese phosphate (LMFP), lithium iron phosphate (LFP), or a combination thereof, and at least one compound selected from a second group of compounds, the second group of compounds comprising lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide (NMC), lithium nickel cobalt aluminum oxide (NCA), lithium cobalt oxide (LCO), or a combination thereof. The method may comprise connecting an aerosol-forming substrate to the aerosol generating system and generating an aerosol from the aerosol-forming substrate using the aerosol generating system.

[0033] In a further aspect of the present disclosure, the use of a lithium-ion battery in an aerosol generating system for generating an inhalable aerosol from an aerosol-forming substrate is provided. The battery comprises a cathode, the cathode comprising a cathode active material. The cathode active material comprises at least one compound selected from a first group of compounds, the first group of compounds comprising lithium iron manganese phosphate (LMFP), lithium iron phosphate (LFP), or a combination thereof, and at least one component selected from a second group of compounds, the second group of compounds comprising lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide (NMC), lithium nickel cobalt aluminum oxide (NCA), lithium cobalt oxide (LCO), or a combination thereof.

[0034] In further aspects of this disclosure, the cathode active material may include lithium manganese iron phosphate (LMFP) and lithium iron phosphate (LFP) as active components of the cathode active material. Both lithium manganese iron phosphate (LMFP) and lithium iron phosphate (LFP) have similar physical properties, and using both compounds in the cathode active material takes advantage of the individual benefits associated with each of them.

[0035] In further aspects of this disclosure, the cathode active material may comprise at least two of lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide (NMC), lithium nickel cobalt aluminum oxide (NCA), and lithium cobalt oxide (LCO) as active components of the cathode active material. Preferably, the cathode active material comprises lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide (NMC) and lithium cobalt oxide (LCO). Lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide (NMC) has an energy density of about 150 to 220 Wh / kg, and lithium cobalt oxide (LCO) has an energy density of about 150 to 200 Wh / kg.

[0036] As used herein, the term “aerosol generating system” is used to describe a set of elements configured to provide interaction with an aerosol-forming substrate for generating aerosols.

[0037] As used herein, the term “aerosol generator” is used to describe a device that generates an aerosol by interacting with an aerosol-forming substrate of an aerosol-generating article. Preferably, the aerosol generator is a smoking device that interacts with an aerosol-forming substrate of an aerosol-generating article to generate an aerosol that can be directly inhaled into the user's lungs through the user's mouth. The aerosol generator may also be a holder for the smoking article.

[0038] The aerosol generating article is preferably a smoking article that generates an aerosol that can be directly inhaled into the user's lungs through the user's mouth. More preferably, the aerosol generating article is a smoking article that generates a nicotine-containing aerosol that can be directly inhaled into the user's lungs through the user's mouth.

[0039] As used herein, the term "aerosol-forming substrate" means a substrate comprising or containing an aerosol-forming material having the ability to release volatile compounds upon heating in order to generate an aerosol.

[0040] As used herein, the term "aerosol-forming material" means a material that has the ability to generate aerosols by releasing volatile compounds upon heating. The aerosol-forming substrate may contain or consist of an aerosol-forming material.

[0041] As used herein, the terms “upstream” and “downstream” are used to describe the relative position of an element or part of an element of a heated aerosol generating article with respect to the direction in which the user inhales the aerosol generating article during its use.

[0042] The aerosol-forming substrate is preferably a solid aerosol-forming substrate. However, the aerosol-forming substrate may contain both solid and liquid components. Alternatively, the aerosol-forming substrate may be a liquid aerosol-forming substrate.

[0043] The aerosol-forming substrate preferably contains nicotine. More preferably, the aerosol-forming substrate contains tobacco. Alternatively, or additionally, the aerosol-forming substrate may contain a non-tobacco-containing aerosol-forming material.

[0044] When the aerosol-forming substrate is a solid aerosol-forming substrate, the solid aerosol-forming substrate may contain one or more of the following: herb leaves, tobacco leaves, tobacco stems, puffed tobacco, and homogenized tobacco, for example, one or more of the following: powder, granules, pellets, fragments, twisted yarn, splinters, or sheets.

[0045] Optionally, the solid aerosol-forming substrate may contain tobacco or non-tobacco volatile flavor compounds, which are released upon heating of the solid aerosol-forming substrate. The solid aerosol-forming substrate may also contain, for example, one or more capsules containing additional tobacco volatile flavor compounds or non-tobacco volatile flavor compounds, which may melt during heating of the solid aerosol-forming substrate.

[0046] Optionally, the solid aerosol-forming substrate may be provided on or embedded within a thermally stable carrier. The carrier may take the form of a powder, granules, pellets, fragments, yarns, strips, or sheets. The solid aerosol-forming substrate may be deposited on the surface of the carrier, for example, in the form of a sheet, foam, gel, or slurry. The solid aerosol-forming substrate may be deposited over the entire surface of the carrier, or alternatively, in a pattern to provide non-uniform flavor delivery during use.

[0047] In preferred embodiments, the aerosol-forming substrate comprises homogenized tobacco material. As used herein, the term “homogenized tobacco material” refers to material formed by agglomerating particulate tobacco.

[0048] The aerosol-forming substrate preferably comprises an aggregate of homogenized tobacco material sheets. As used herein, the term “sheet” refers to a layered element having a width and length substantially greater than its thickness. As used herein, the term “aggregated” is used to describe a sheet that is rolled, folded, or otherwise compressed or clamped substantially transversely to the longitudinal axis of the aerosol-generating article.

[0049] Preferably, the aerosol-forming substrate includes an aerosol-forming compound. As used herein, the term “aerosol-forming compound” is used to describe any suitable known compound or mixture of compounds that facilitates aerosol formation during use and is substantially resistant to thermal decomposition at the operating temperature of the aerosol-generating article.

[0050] Suitable aerosol-forming materials are known in the art and include, but are not limited to, polyhydric alcohols (such as propylene glycol, triethylene glycol, 1,3-butanediol, and glycerin), esters of polyhydric alcohols (such as glycerol monoacetate, diacetate, or triacetate), and aliphatic esters of monocarboxylic acids, dicarboxylic acids, or polycarboxylic acids (such as dimethyl dodecanediate and dimethyl tetradecanediate). Preferred aerosol-forming materials are polyhydric alcohols or mixtures thereof (such as propylene glycol, triethylene glycol, 1,3-butanediol, and most preferably glycerin).

[0051] The aerosol-forming substrate may comprise a single aerosol-forming body. Alternatively, the aerosol-forming substrate may comprise a combination of two or more aerosol-forming bodies. [Examples]

[0052] The present invention is defined in the claims. However, a non-exclusive list of non-limiting embodiments is provided below. One or more features of these embodiments may be combined with one or more features of other embodiments, forms, or aspects described herein.

[0053] Example 1: An aerosol generation system for generating inhalable aerosols from an aerosol-forming substrate, Equipped with a lithium-ion battery, The battery has a cathode, and the cathode contains a cathode active material. The cathode active material is At least one compound selected from the first group of compounds, wherein the first group of compounds includes at least one compound comprising lithium iron manganese phosphate, lithium iron phosphate, or a combination thereof, An aerosol generating system comprising at least one compound selected from a second group of compounds, wherein the second group of compounds includes lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide, lithium nickel cobalt aluminum oxide, lithium cobalt oxide, or a combination thereof. Example 1A: An aerosol generation system for generating inhalable aerosols from an aerosol-forming substrate, Equipped with a lithium-ion battery, The battery has a cathode, and the cathode contains a cathode active material. An aerosol generation system in which the cathode active material contains manganese iron lithium phosphate (LMFP) and lithium iron phosphate (LFP). Example 1B: An aerosol generation system for generating inhalable aerosols from an aerosol-forming substrate, Equipped with a lithium-ion battery, The battery has a cathode, and the cathode contains a cathode active material. An aerosol generation system in which the cathode active material contains at least two of the following: lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide (NMC), lithium nickel cobalt aluminum oxide (NCA), and lithium cobalt oxide (LCO). Example 1C: The aerosol generation system according to Example 1B, wherein the cathode active material comprises lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide (NMC) and lithium cobalt oxide (LCO). Example 2: An aerosol generation system according to any one of Examples 1 to 1C, wherein the cathode further comprises a cathode current collector. Example 3: An aerosol generating system according to Example 2, wherein the cathode current collector contains aluminum. Example 4: An aerosol generation system according to either Example 2 or 3, wherein a coating of cathode active material is disposed on the surface of the cathode current collector. Example 5: An aerosol generating system according to Example 4, in which the coating is applied directly to the surface of the cathode current collector. Example 6: An aerosol generating system according to any one of Examples 2 to 5, wherein the cathode active material comprises a first layer and a second layer, the first layer being applied to the surface of the cathode current collector, the second layer being applied on top of the first layer, and the first and second layers having distinct material compositions. Example 6A: An aerosol generating system according to Example 6, wherein one of the first and second layers comprises at least one compound selected from the first group, which is manganese iron lithium phosphate (LMFP), lithium iron phosphate (LFP), or a combination thereof, and the other of the first and second layers comprises at least one compound selected from the second group, which is lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide (NMC), lithium nickel cobalt aluminum oxide (NCA), lithium cobalt oxide (LCO), or a combination thereof. Example 7: The aerosol generation system according to Example 6, wherein the first layer is applied directly to the surface of the cathode current collector. Example 8: The aerosol generation system according to any one of Examples 6 or 7, wherein the second layer is applied directly to the first layer. Example 9: The aerosol generation system according to any one of Examples 1 to 8, wherein the cathode active material contains lithium iron manganese phosphate and lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide. Example 10: The aerosol generation system according to Example 9, wherein the weight ratio of lithium iron manganese phosphate to lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide in the cathode active material is in the range of 1:9 to 9:1, or 3:7 to 7:3, or 3:7 to 5:5. Example 11: The aerosol generation system according to any one of Examples 1 to 10, wherein the cathode active material contains lithium iron manganese phosphate as LiMn i Fe 1-i PO4, and i is in the range of 0 to 1. Example 12: The aerosol generation system according to Example 11, wherein i is in the range of 0.5 to 0.7. Example 13: The aerosol generation system according to any one of Examples 11 or 12, wherein the cathode active material further contains lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide as LiNi p Co q Mn r O2, p is in the range of 0.4 to 0.6, q is in the range of 0.1 to 0.3, r is in the range of 0.2 to 0.4, and p + q + r = 1. Example 14: The aerosol generation system according to Example 13, wherein p has a value of 0.5, q has a value of 0.2, and r has a value of 0.3. Example 14A: The aerosol generation system according to any one of Examples 1 to 8, wherein the cathode active material contains lithium iron phosphate and lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide. Example 15: An aerosol generation system according to any one of Examples 1 to 14A, wherein the battery contains an electrolyte containing a lithium salt, and the lithium salt preferably contains or consists of LiPF6. Example 16: An aerosol generation system according to any one of Examples 1 to 15, wherein the cathode active material further comprises a solvent, a binder, a conductive agent, and a stabilizer. Example 17: An aerosol generation system according to Example 16, wherein the solvent comprises one or more of the following: N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP), dimethylformamide (DMF), dimethylacetamide, N,N-dimethylaminopropylamine, ethylene oxide, and tetrahydrofuran (THF). Example 18: An aerosol generating system according to either Example 16 or 17, wherein the binder comprises one or more of the following: polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), polyhexafluoropropylene-polyvinylidene fluoride copolymer, poly(vinyl acetate), polyvinyl alcohol, polyethylene oxide (PEO), polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), alkylated polyethylene oxide, polyvinyl ether (PVE), poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), poly(ethyl acrylate) (PEA), polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyacrylonitrile (PAN), polyvinylpyridine, styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR), and acrylonitrile-butadiene rubber. Example 19: An aerosol generation system according to any one of Examples 16 to 18, wherein the binder is present in the cathode active material at a concentration of 0.1% to 30% by weight of the cathode active material, or at a concentration of 1% to 10% by weight of the cathode active material. Example 20: An aerosol generation system according to any one of Examples 16 to 19, wherein the conductive agent comprises one or more of graphite agents, carbon black agents, metals, and metal compounds. Example 21: An aerosol generation system according to Example 20, wherein the graphite agent contains one or more of artificial graphite and natural graphite. Example 22: An aerosol generation system according to either Example 20 or 21, wherein the carbon black agent comprises one or more of acetylene black, Ketjen black, Denka black, thermal black, and channel black. Example 23: An aerosol generation system according to any one of Examples 20 to 22, wherein the metal or metal compound agent comprises one or more of Sn, SnO2, SnPO4, TiO2, KTiO3, LaSrCoO3, and LaSrMnO3. Example 24: An aerosol generation system according to any one of Examples 16 to 23, wherein the conductive agent is present in the cathode active material at a concentration of 0.1% to 10% by weight of the cathode active material. Example 25: An aerosol generation system according to any one of Examples 16 to 24, wherein the stabilizer comprises one or more of carboxymethylcellulose, hydroxymethylcellulose, hydroxyethylcellulose, and hydroxypropylcellulose. Example 26: An aerosol generation system according to any one of Examples 1 to 25, comprising an anode active material containing graphite, carbon, silicon, or a combination thereof. Example 27: An aerosol generation system according to any one of Examples 1 to 26, wherein the lithium-ion battery is a rechargeable battery. Example 28: An aerosol generating system according to any one of Examples 1 to 27, wherein the system comprises at least one of an aerosol generator and a charger for charging the power supply of the aerosol generator. Example 29: An aerosol generating system according to Example 28, in which a battery forms part of the aerosol generating device. Example 30: Aerosol generator, Electric heating system, an aerosol generating system according to either of Examples 28 and 29, comprising control electronic equipment configured to control the supply of electricity from a battery to a heating element. Example 31: An aerosol generation system according to Example 30, in which the electric heating arrangement includes a resistance heating element. Example 32: An aerosol generation system according to Example 30, comprising an electric heating arrangement and an inductor configured to induce eddy currents into a susceptor. Example 33: An aerosol generation system according to Example 32, further comprising an electric heating element and a susceptor. Example 34: An aerosol generating system according to any one of Examples 30 to 33, wherein the control electronics are configured to provide a continuous or intermittent supply of electricity to the heating arrangement over the course of the usage session. Example 35: An aerosol generating system according to any one of Examples 30-33, wherein the control electronics are configured to provide pulsed electrical supply to the heating arrangement over the course of the session. Example 36: Aerosol generator, A membrane for releasing aerosols from an aerosol-forming substrate through membrane vibration, An actuator connected to a membrane, An aerosol generation system according to any one of Examples 28 to 35, comprising control electronic equipment configured to drive the vibration of a membrane by controlling the supply of electricity from a battery to an actuator. Example 37: An aerosol generating system according to any one of Examples 28 to 36, wherein the aerosol generating device is configured to receive an aerosol generating article containing an aerosol forming substrate. Example 38: An aerosol generating system according to any one of Examples 1 to 37, wherein the system further comprises an aerosol generating article containing an aerosol forming substrate. Example 39: An aerosol generation system according to Example 28, in which the battery forms part of the charger. Example 40: The charger An aerosol generating system according to Embodiment 39, comprising control electronic equipment configured to operate in a first mode and a second mode, the first mode being configured to discharge a battery to charge a corresponding battery of an aerosol generating device, and the second mode being configured to charge a charger battery from an external power source. Example 41: A method for operating an aerosol generating system for generating inhalable aerosols from an aerosol-forming substrate, wherein the aerosol generating system is Equipped with a lithium-ion battery, The battery has a cathode, and the cathode contains a cathode active material. The cathode active material is At least one compound selected from the first group of compounds, wherein the first group of compounds includes at least one compound comprising manganese iron lithium phosphate (LMFP), lithium iron phosphate (LFP), or a combination thereof, A compound selected from a second group of compounds, wherein the second group of compounds includes at least one compound comprising lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide (NMC), lithium nickel cobalt aluminum oxide (NCA), lithium cobalt oxide (LCO), or a combination thereof, A method comprising connecting an aerosol-forming substrate to an aerosol-generating system and generating an aerosol from the aerosol-generating substrate using the aerosol-generating system. Example 41A: A method for operating an aerosol generating system for generating inhalable aerosols from an aerosol-forming substrate, wherein the aerosol generating system is Equipped with a lithium-ion battery, The battery has a cathode, and the cathode contains a cathode active material. The cathode active material contains lithium iron manganese phosphate (LMFP) and lithium iron phosphate (LFP). A method comprising connecting an aerosol-forming substrate to an aerosol-generating system and generating an aerosol from the aerosol-generating substrate using the aerosol-generating system. Example 41B: A method for operating an aerosol generating system for generating inhalable aerosols from an aerosol-forming substrate, wherein the aerosol generating system is Equipped with a lithium-ion battery, The battery has a cathode, and the cathode contains a cathode active material. The cathode active material comprises at least two of the following: lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide (NMC), lithium nickel cobalt aluminum oxide (NCA), and lithium cobalt oxide (LCO). A method comprising connecting an aerosol-forming substrate to an aerosol-generating system and generating an aerosol from the aerosol-generating substrate using the aerosol-generating system. Example 41C: The method according to Example 41B, wherein the cathode active material comprises lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide (NMC) and lithium cobalt oxide (LCO). Example 42: The use of a lithium-ion battery in an aerosol generation system for generating an inhalable aerosol from an aerosol-forming substrate, wherein the battery comprises a cathode, and the cathode contains a cathode active material, The cathode active material is At least one compound selected from the first group of compounds, wherein the first group of compounds includes at least one compound comprising manganese iron lithium phosphate (LMFP), lithium iron phosphate (LFP), or a combination thereof, Use comprising at least one component selected from a second group of compounds, wherein the second group of compounds includes at least one component comprising lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide (NMC), lithium nickel cobalt aluminum oxide (NCA), lithium cobalt oxide (LCO), or a combination thereof. Example 42A: The use of a lithium-ion battery in an aerosol generation system for generating an inhalable aerosol from an aerosol-forming substrate, wherein the battery comprises a cathode, and the cathode contains a cathode active material, The cathode active material contains manganese iron lithium phosphate (LMFP) and lithium iron phosphate (LFP). Example 42B: The use of a lithium-ion battery in an aerosol generation system for generating an inhalable aerosol from an aerosol-forming substrate, wherein the battery comprises a cathode, and the cathode contains a cathode active material, Uses a cathode active material comprising at least two of the following: lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide (NMC), lithium nickel cobalt aluminum oxide (NCA), and lithium cobalt oxide (LCO). Example 42C: Use of a lithium-ion battery according to Example 42B, in which the cathode active material comprises lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide (NMC) and lithium cobalt oxide (LCO).

[0054] Here, the embodiments will be described further with reference to the drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0055] [Figure 1] Figure 1 shows a schematic diagram of a first embodiment of the aerosol generation system according to this disclosure. [Figure 2] Figure 2 illustrates a schematic diagram of a second embodiment of the aerosol generation system according to this disclosure. [Figure 3] Figure 3 illustrates a schematic diagram of a third embodiment of the aerosol generation system according to this disclosure. [Figure 4] Figure 4 shows a schematic diagram of a fourth embodiment of the aerosol generation system according to this disclosure. [Figure 5] Figure 5 shows a schematic diagram of a first embodiment of the lithium-ion battery according to this disclosure, which is suitable for use in the aerosol generation systems shown in Figures 1-4. [Figure 6] Figure 6 shows a schematic diagram of a second embodiment of the lithium-ion battery according to the present disclosure, which is suitable for use in the aerosol generation systems of Figures 1-4. [Figure 7] Figure 7 is a graph showing the change in battery capacity with increasing charge cycle count for four embodiments of lithium-ion batteries. Each battery has a different composition of cathode active material used, and charging and discharging are performed at a temperature of 25 degrees Celsius. [Figure 8] Figure 8 corresponds to Figure 7, but the battery charging and discharging are performed at a temperature of 40 degrees Celsius. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0056] Figure 1 shows an exemplary aerosol generating system 100. The system 100 includes an aerosol generator 10. The generator 10 is a handheld aerosol generator and has an elongated shape defined by a substantially cylindrical housing 11. The housing 11 houses a lithium-ion battery 12, control electronics 13, and an electric heating element 14. A bottomed cylindrical cavity 15 extends from the proximal end 16 of the housing 11. The heating element 14 extends along the long axis of the cavity from the closed end 17 of the cavity 15 toward the proximal end 16. The heating element 14 is a resistance heating element and has a blade-shaped profile; in alternative embodiments, the heating element may have a pin-shaped profile. A pair of charging electrical contacts 18a,b extend between the battery 12 and the distal end 19 of the housing 11.

[0057] The system 100 in Figure 1 also includes an aerosol generating article 20. The article 20 has the form of a cylindrical rod, which is formed by a combination of an aerosol forming substrate 21 and a filter element 22. The aerosol forming substrate 21 and the filter element 22 are coaxially aligned and circumferentially enclosed within a cigarette paper wrapper 23. The aerosol forming substrate 21 is a solid aerosol forming substrate containing tobacco. However, in alternative embodiments, the aerosol forming substrate 21 may instead be a liquid aerosol forming substrate, or may be formed by a combination of a liquid aerosol forming substrate and a solid aerosol forming substrate. The filter element 22 functions as a mouthpiece for the aerosol generating article 20. The aerosol generating article 20 has a diameter substantially equal to the diameter of the cavity 15 of the device 10, and a length longer than the depth of the cavity. The aerosol-generating article 10 is inserted into the cavity 15 until the upstream end 25 of the aerosol-forming substrate 21 contacts or is immediately adjacent to the closed end 17 of the cavity. Once the aerosol-generating article 20 is inserted into the cavity 15, the resistance heating element 14 of the aerosol-generating device 10 perforates the aerosol-forming substrate 21 of the article 20 and penetrates into its interior. When the aerosol-generating article 20 is received within the cavity 15 of the device 10, the portion of the article containing the filter element 22 extends outside the cavity, allowing the user to inhale the article in a manner similar to that of a conventional cigarette.

[0058] The lithium-ion battery 12 functions as a power source to support the operation of the aerosol generator 10. The control electronics 13 is configured to control the supply of electricity from the battery 12 to the resistive heating element 14 during use of the device 10 and throughout the usage session. The control electronics 13 includes or is connected to a memory module 13a.

[0059] During use, the control electronic equipment 13 controls the supply of electricity from the battery 12 to the resistive heating element 14 according to instructions and data stored in the memory module 13a. The memory module 13a contains instructions and data that manage the time and duration for which electrical energy is supplied from the battery 12 to the heating element 14. The instructions and data in the memory module 13a may include a target thermal profile for the heating element 14 over the usage session. The target thermal profile defines the target operating temperature for the heating element 14. The target operating temperature may be defined as a function of the time elapsed in a given usage session, or as a function of the number of fumigations applied to the article 20 in a given usage session, or a combination thereof. The duration of a usage session may be defined by the first occurrence of a usage session that continues for a predetermined maximum duration and the number of fumigations applied to the aerosol-generating article 20 reaching a predetermined maximum number of applied fumigations. For example, the predetermined maximum duration may be 6 minutes, and the predetermined maximum number of applied fumigations may be 14.

[0060] Figure 2 shows an alternative aerosol generating system 100' to system 100 of Figure 1. Systems 100' and 100 differ in the configuration of the aerosol generating device 10' and aerosol generating article 20' of Figure 2 compared to the device 10 and article 20 of Figure 1. Instead of the resistance heating element 14 of the device 10 of Figure 1, the aerosol generating device 10' of Figure 2 has an induction coil 141 provided within a housing 11. The induction coil 141 surrounds the tubular inner wall of the housing 11, which defines a cavity 15. A susceptor 241 is embedded within the aerosol forming substrate 21 of the aerosol generating article 20'.

[0061] In the alternative embodiment shown in Figure 2, the susceptor may instead form part of the aerosol generator 10'. In one such alternative embodiment, the susceptor may extend along the long axis from the closed end 17 of the cavity 15, similar to the resistance heating element 14 in the embodiment of Figure 1. In another alternative embodiment, the susceptor may define the tubular inner wall of the cavity 15.

[0062] During use of the aerosol generating system 100' in Figure 2, the control electronic equipment 13 controls the supply of electricity from the lithium-ion battery 12 to the induction coil 141 in a manner similar to that described with reference to the embodiment in Figure 1, according to instructions and data stored in the memory module 13a. The susceptor 241 is located within the induction coil 141 when the aerosol generating article 20' is inserted into the cavity 15 such that the upstream end 25 of the aerosol forming substrate 21 is in contact with or immediately adjacent to the closed end 17 of the cavity 15. The alternating current flowing through the induction coil 141 generates an alternating magnetic field, which induces eddy currents through the susceptor 241, resulting in heating of the susceptor 241.

[0063] Figure 3 shows a third embodiment of the aerosol generating system 100'' incorporating the aerosol generator 10 and aerosol generating article 20 of the embodiment of Figure 1. However, system 100'' additionally includes a charger 30. The charger 30 has a housing 31. The housing 31 houses a lithium-ion battery 32 and control electronics 33. The control electronics 33 includes a memory module 33a containing instructions and data used by the control electronics. The housing 31 includes a cylindrical cavity 34 with a bottom that is slightly larger in size than the diameter of the aerosol generator 10. The cavity 34 is dimensioned to accommodate a portion of the aerosol generator 10. Charger electrical contacts 35a, b are provided at the bottom end 36 of the cavity 34. The device 10 is inserted into the cavity 34 from the distal end 19 until a pair of charging electrical contacts 18a, b of the device 10 contact a pair of charging electrical contacts 35a, b of the charger 30. When the charger 30 is received into the cavity 34 and the aerosol generator 10 is started, the control electronics 33 operates in a first operating mode. In the first operating mode, the control electronics 33 controls the supply of electricity from the battery 32 by accessing instructions and data in the memory module 33a in order to recharge the lithium-ion battery 12 of the device 10. As shown in Figure 3, the charger 30 also includes an external port 37 connected to the end of the housing 31. The port 37 is configured to connect to an external power source (e.g., a mains power source) to enable the recharging of the lithium-ion battery 32 of the charger 30. The port 37 is electrically coupled to the lithium-ion battery 32 via the controller 33. When the port 37 is connected to the external power source and the charger 30 is started, the control electronics 33 operates in a second operating mode. In the second operating mode, the control electronics 33 controls the supply of power from the external power source by accessing instructions and data in the memory module 33a in order to recharge the battery 32 of the charger.

[0064] Figure 4 shows a further alternative aerosol generation system 100'''. The system 100''' in Figure 4 uses an aerosol generator 10''' configured to generate an aerosol from a liquid aerosol-forming substrate not through heating of the substrate, but through vibration of a membrane in contact with the substrate. Similar to the aerosol generators 10, 10' in Figures 1-3, the aerosol generator 10''' in Figure 4 has a housing 11 that houses a lithium-ion battery 12 and control electronics 13. The housing 11 has a first housing section 11a and a second housing section 11b. The first housing section 11a is in the form of a cylindrical tube and is connected to the second housing section 11b. The second housing section 11b is conical and defines the mouthpiece of the aerosol generator 10''', with an opening provided at one end of the mouthpiece. A replaceable / disposable cartridge 200 is located inside the housing 11. Cartridge 200 houses a storage section 201 for a liquid aerosol-forming substrate. A feed assembly 212 is fluidically connected to cartridge 200 and is located downstream of cartridge 200. The feed assembly 212 may be a passive structure such as an suction element. Alternatively, the feed assembly 212 may be an active feed assembly (such as a pump or similar) powered by battery 12. A vibrating aerosolization module 142 is provided downstream of feed assembly 212. The aerosolization module 142 includes an actuator assembly 142a connected to a perforated membrane 142b. The actuator assembly 142a is connected to battery 12 via control electronics 13. During use, the control electronics 13 controls the supply of electricity from lithium-ion battery 12 to actuator assembly 142a according to instructions and data stored in memory module 13a. The control electronic equipment 13 provides a drive signal to the actuator assembly 142a, which induces a vibration response from the membrane 142b. The feed assembly 212 feeds the liquid aerosol-forming substrate 201 from the cartridge 200 to one side of the membrane 142b.As a result of the vibration of membrane 142b, the substrate 201 is expelled through perforations in the membrane and dispersed as a spray of aerosol droplets through openings in mouthpiece 11b, as schematically shown in Figure 4.

[0065] In all embodiments of the aerosol generators 10, 10', and 10'''' shown in Figures 1-4, the lithium-ion battery 12 serves as a source of electrical energy to facilitate the generation of inhalable aerosols from the aerosol-forming substrates 21 (Figures 1-3) and 201 (Figure 4), either through heating (as in the embodiments shown in Figures 1-3) or through vibration (as in Figure 4). In all embodiments illustrated in the drawings, the aerosol generators 10, 10', and 10'''' have a size and mass that allows them to be held by the user. The battery 12 provides a high level of energy over a short, finite period, specifically over a usage session. The battery 12 has only enough capacity to complete a predetermined number of usage sessions. Upon completion of the predetermined number of usage sessions, the battery 12 is recharged. The predetermined number of usage sessions may be a single usage session or two or more usage sessions.

[0066] In the embodiment shown in Figure 3, the lithium-ion battery 32 of the charger 30 contains enough energy to fully recharge the lithium-ion battery 12 of the aerosol generator 10. In the illustrated embodiment, the battery 32 of the charger 30 has enough capacity to fully recharge the battery 12 of the device 10 for at least two recharge cycles before the battery 32 requires recharging.

[0067] The following paragraphs describe an exemplary configuration of the lithium-ion battery 12 with reference to Figures 4-6. The lithium-ion battery 32 of the charger 30 has a configuration corresponding to that of battery 12, differing only in that battery 32 has a larger capacity and physical size than battery 12. Therefore, the following description of battery 12 also applies to battery 32.

[0068] Figure 5 illustrates a schematic diagram of a lithium-ion battery 12 as used in the aerosol generators 10, 10', and 10''' shown in Figures 1-4. Figure 5 also includes a representation of the external circuitry formed by the battery 12's connection to the control electronics 13 and other electrical loads of the aerosol generator 10. The other electrical loads would include the resistive heater element 14 in Figures 1 and 3, the induction coil 141 in Figure 2, and the actuator assembly 142a of the vibrating aerosolization module 142 in Figure 4. The control electronics 13 and these other electrical loads are denoted by the reference numeral "L" in Figure 5.

[0069] Figure 5 shows a single cell of the lithium-ion battery 12. The cell of the lithium-ion battery 12 has a pair of electrodes in the form of an anode 121 and a cathode 122. The anode and cathode are separated from each other in the electrolyte 123. A separator 124 is positioned between the anode 121 and the cathode 122 in the cell. Naturally, in other embodiments, the battery 12 may comprise multiple cells.

[0070] The anode 121 has an anode current collector 1211 made of copper foil. The anode current collector 1211 is coated with an anode active material 1212. The anode active material 1212 is made of graphite. The cathode 122 has a cathode current collector 1221 made of aluminum foil. The cathode current collector 1221 is coated with a cathode active material 1222. The cathode active material 1222 is formed of at least one compound selected from a first group of compounds, the first group of compounds including lithium iron manganese phosphate, lithium iron phosphate, or a combination thereof, and at least one component selected from a second group of compounds, the second group of compounds including lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide, lithium nickel cobalt aluminum oxide, lithium cobalt oxide, or a combination thereof.

[0071] The electrolyte 123 is formed from a non-aqueous organic solvent and a lithium salt. In the embodiments described, the lithium salt is LiPF6. However, naturally, in other embodiments, alternative forms of lithium salts may be used.

[0072] When battery 12 is discharged (for example, when supplying power to the control electronics 13 of the aerosol generators 10, 10', 10''', and the other electrical loads mentioned above), lithium ions flow from cathode 122 to anode 121 through electrolyte 123 and separator 124 (as shown by the dashed arrows in Figure 5). Furthermore, electrons flow from anode 121 to cathode 122 through the external circuit and load L. The direction of ion flow is reversed when battery 12 is charged, i.e., from anode 121 to cathode 122.

[0073] Figure 6 differs from the battery 12 in Figure 5 in that the cathode active material is applied as two separate layers 1222a and 1222b. The first layer 1222a includes lithium iron manganese phosphate, lithium iron phosphate, or a combination thereof, and is applied directly to the surface of the cathode current collector 1221. The second layer 1222b includes at least one of lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide, lithium nickel cobalt aluminum oxide, lithium cobalt oxide, or a combination thereof. The second layer 1222b is applied directly to the surface of the first layer 1222a.

[0074] In the experiment, four different exemplary batteries 12 were manufactured. The batteries differed only in the composition of the cathode active material used. Specifically, the four batteries (numbered 1-4, respectively) used the following active ingredients in the cathode active material: Battery #1: A battery made of lithium manganese iron phosphate (LMFP) and lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide (NMC), with a weight ratio of 5:5 between lithium manganese iron phosphate and lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide. Battery #2. A battery made of lithium manganese iron phosphate (LMFP) and lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide (NMC), with a weight ratio of lithium manganese iron phosphate to lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide of 3:7. Battery #3. A battery made of lithium manganese iron phosphate (LMFP) and lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide (NMC), with a weight ratio of lithium manganese iron phosphate to lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide of 7:3. Battery #4: Lithium iron manganese phosphate (LMFP).

[0075] Batteries #1-3 have cathode active material compositions included within the scope of this disclosure. Battery #4 is included for comparison with batteries #1-3.

[0076] Four different batteries were fabricated as follows:

[0077] Firstly, a mixture of the respective active components for the cathode active material, polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) as a binder, and carbon as a conductive agent is provided. These component elements of the mixture are mixed together in a non-aqueous solvent of N-methyl-2-pyrrolidine (NMP) to form a cathode active slurry. The slurry is then coated onto an aluminum foil current collector 1221, and subsequently dried and rolled to produce a cathode 122.

[0078] Secondly, a mixture of synthetic graphite, styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR) as a binder, and carboxymethylcellulose as a stabilizer is provided. These components are mixed together in water to produce an anode-active slurry. The synthetic graphite forms the active component of the anode-active slurry. The slurry is then coated onto a copper foil current collector 1211, and subsequently dried and rolled to produce an anode 121.

[0079] The anode and cathode are placed within the electrolyte, where the electrolyte is prepared by dissolving LiPF6 in a non-aqueous organic solvent. A separator made of polyethylene is positioned between the anode and cathode.

[0080] All batteries were charged for 0.1 hours at a constant current of 1.6 amps / 3.65 volts at a temperature of 25 degrees Celsius or 40 degrees Celsius, and then discharged under pulsed current of 10–20C and a lower voltage of 2.55V until a total discharge energy of 570 mWh was reached. "C" is a multiplier of the battery's charge or discharge rate, where a rate of 1C is equivalent to charging the battery from 0–100% in one hour, and a rate of 2C achieves the same level of charge in half the time, i.e., 30 minutes. The charge-discharge cycle outlined above was repeated thousands of times to determine the battery capacity.

[0081] Figure 7 shows the capacity changes with increasing charge cycle counts for batteries #1-4, with charging and discharging performed at 25 degrees Celsius. As seen in Figure 7, batteries #1-3, which use a cathode active material containing a mixture of lithium manganese iron phosphate (LMFP) and lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide (NMC) as the active component of the cathode active material, were found to have superior cycle life compared to battery #4, which uses lithium manganese iron phosphate alone as the active component of the cathode active material. Therefore, the degradation of battery capacity with increasing charge cycle counts is slower when a mixture of lithium manganese iron phosphate (LMFP) and lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide (NMC) is used as the active component of the cathode active material compared to when lithium manganese iron phosphate (LMFP) is used alone. The performance improvement is particularly pronounced in batteries (batteries #1 and #2) that have cathode active materials with weight ratios of manganese iron lithium phosphate (LMFP) and lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide (NMC) of 5:5 and 3:7, respectively.

[0082] Figure 8 corresponds to Figure 7, but the battery charging and discharging are performed at a temperature of 40 degrees Celsius. Figure 8 again shows that using a cathode active material containing a mixture of lithium manganese iron phosphate (LMFP) and lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide (NMC) as the active component of the cathode active material provides improved cycle life compared to batteries in which the cathode active material has lithium manganese iron phosphate (LMFP) alone as the active component. Again, the degradation of battery capacity with increasing number of charge cycles is slower when using a mixture of lithium manganese iron phosphate (LMFP) and lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide (NMC) as the active component of the cathode active material compared to when using lithium manganese iron phosphate (LMFP) alone.

[0083] Figures 7 and 8 relate to a specific embodiment in which the cathode active material comprises lithium iron manganese phosphate (LMFP) and lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide (NMC) as the active components of the cathode active material. However, as described in the general description, lithium iron manganese phosphate is an evolution of lithium iron phosphate and has similar physical properties. Therefore, it will be understood that in other embodiments, lithium iron phosphate may be used instead of or in combination with lithium iron manganese phosphate. Furthermore, lithium nickel cobalt aluminum oxide (NCA) or lithium cobalt oxide (LCO) may be used instead of lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide (NMC).

[0084] For the purposes of this specification and the appended claims, unless otherwise indicated, all numbers representing amounts, quantities, percentages, etc., should be understood in all cases as being modified by the term “approximately.” Furthermore, all ranges include the disclosed maximum and minimum points and any intermediate ranges therewith, which may or may not be specifically listed herein. Thus, in this context, the number “A” is understood as 10% of “A” ± “A.” In this context, the number “A” may be considered to include a number that falls within the general standard error of the measurement of the characteristic modified by the number “A.” In some cases as used in the appended claims, the number “A” may deviate by the percentages listed above, provided that the amount of deviation does not substantially affect the basic and novel characteristics of the claimed invention. Furthermore, all ranges include the disclosed maximum and minimum points and any intermediate ranges therewith, which may or may not be specifically listed herein.

Claims

1. An aerosol generation system for generating inhalable aerosols from an aerosol-forming substrate, Equipped with a lithium-ion battery, The battery comprises a cathode, and the cathode contains a cathode active material. The cathode active material is At least one compound selected from the first group of compounds, wherein the first group of compounds includes lithium iron manganese phosphate, lithium iron phosphate, or a combination thereof, An aerosol generating system comprising at least one compound selected from a second group of compounds, wherein the second group of compounds includes lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide, lithium nickel cobalt aluminum oxide, lithium cobalt oxide, or a combination thereof.

2. The aerosol generating system according to claim 1, wherein the cathode active material comprises manganese iron lithium phosphate and lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide.

3. The aerosol generating system according to claim 2, wherein the weight ratio of lithium iron manganese phosphate to lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide in the cathode active material is within the range of 1:9 to 9:1, or 3:7 to 7:3, or 3:7 to 5:

5.

4. The cathode active material is LiMn i Fe 1-i PO 4 An aerosol generating system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, comprising manganese iron lithium phosphate, wherein i is in the range of 0 to 1.

5. The aerosol generating system according to claim 4, wherein i is in the range of 0.5 to 0.

7.

6. The cathode active material is LiNi p Co q Mn r O 2 An aerosol generating system according to any one of claims 4 or 5, further comprising lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide, wherein p is in the range of 0.4 to 0.6, q is in the range of 0.1 to 0.3, r is in the range of 0.2 to 0.4, and p + q + r = 1.

7. The aerosol generating system according to claim 6, wherein p has a value of 0.5, q has a value of 0.2, and r has a value of 0.

3.

8. The aerosol generating system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the cathode active material further comprises a solvent, a binder, a conductive agent, and a stabilizer.

9. An aerosol generating system according to any one of claims 1 to 8, comprising an anode active material containing graphite, carbon, silicon, or a combination thereof.

10. The aerosol generating system according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the system comprises at least one of an aerosol generating device and a charger for charging the power supply of the aerosol generating device.

11. The aerosol generating system according to claim 10, wherein the battery forms part of the aerosol generating device.

12. The aerosol generating system according to any one of claims 1 to 11, further comprising an aerosol generating article containing the aerosol forming substrate.

13. The aerosol generating system according to claim 10, wherein the battery forms part of the charger.

14. A method for operating an aerosol generating system for generating inhalable aerosols from an aerosol-forming substrate, wherein the aerosol generating system is Equipped with a lithium-ion battery, The battery comprises a cathode, and the cathode contains a cathode active material. The cathode active material is At least one compound selected from the first group of compounds, wherein the first group of compounds includes lithium iron manganese phosphate, lithium iron phosphate, or a combination thereof, A compound selected from a second group of compounds, wherein the second group of compounds includes at least one compound comprising lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide, lithium nickel cobalt aluminum oxide, lithium cobalt oxide, or a combination thereof, The method comprises connecting the aerosol-forming substrate to the aerosol-generating system and generating an aerosol from the aerosol-generating substrate using the aerosol-generating system.

15. The use of a lithium-ion battery in an aerosol generation system for generating an inhalable aerosol from an aerosol-forming substrate, wherein the battery comprises a cathode, and the cathode comprises a cathode active material, The cathode active material is At least one compound selected from the first group of compounds, wherein the first group of compounds includes lithium iron manganese phosphate, lithium iron phosphate, or a combination thereof, Use comprising at least one component selected from a second group of compounds, wherein the second group of compounds includes lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide, lithium nickel cobalt aluminum oxide, lithium cobalt oxide, or a combination thereof.

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