Multi-layered Alkaloid Sheet with Fibrous Substrate
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Solution Overview
Problem
There is a need for an alternative material containing alkaloids that can be used in heat-not-burn tobacco products, which offers improved tensile strength and homogeneity without the need for high amounts of added fibers in the slurry.
Innovation Solution
A multi-layered or composite sheet is created with a substrate sheet containing long fibers, to which a slurry comprising alkaloid powder, water, a binder, and an aerosol former is applied, providing a high tensile strength and homogeneous composition.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If high amounts of fibers are added to the slurry to increase tensile strength, then the sheet structure becomes heterogeneous and difficult to process
Solution Approach 1:
The invention divides the sheet into two distinct parts: a substrate layer containing the fibers for mechanical strength, and a slurry layer containing the alkaloid powder for functional properties. This segmentation allows each layer to optimize its own characteristics without compromising the other - the substrate provides tensile strength while the slurry maintains homogeneity and processability.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention creates a composite structure by combining two different materials - a fibrous substrate and an alkaloid-containing slurry - into a single sheet product. The substrate layer (first layer) and slurry layer (second layer) work together synergistically, where the substrate provides mechanical integrity and the slurry provides the desired functional properties, resolving the contradiction between strength and homogeneity.
2Strength
If long fiber substrate sheet is used to provide tensile strength, then the sheet becomes more heterogeneous in structure
Solution Approach 1:
The invention segments the sheet into a structural component (substrate with long fibers) and a functional component (slurry layer). This segmentation allows the substrate to be optimized for mechanical strength without requiring the entire sheet structure to be complex - the slurry layer simply needs to be applied uniformly over the substrate surface.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention applies local quality by concentrating the fiber content specifically in the substrate layer where mechanical strength is needed, while keeping the slurry layer homogeneous and free of fibers. This localized approach to fiber distribution provides tensile strength exactly where required without complicating the overall sheet structure or processing.
3Ease of manufacture
If conventional cast leaf methods are used, then the material lacks sufficient tensile strength for robust processing
Solution Approach 1:
The invention performs preliminary action by pre-forming a substrate sheet with appropriate fiber content and mechanical strength before applying the alkaloid slurry. This ensures that the sheet has sufficient tensile strength for robust processing from the outset, eliminating the need for subsequent reinforcement steps and improving ease of manufacture.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The resulting sheet has enhanced tensile strength and homogeneity, allowing for robust processing and controlled aerosol characteristics, with reduced drying time and energy requirements, while maintaining the flavor and vapor properties of the alkaloids.
Implementation Method 1
The substrate sheet is impregnated with a mixture of: a powder of the material containing alkaloids, the powder having a size comprised between about 8 micrometers and about 200 micrometers; water; a binder; and an aerosol former
Implementation Method 2
a binder; and an aerosol former wherein the binder is comprised in an amount comprised between about 0 percent and about 1 percent of the total weight
Data Source
Figure 1~2
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AI summary
The present invention relates to a multi-layered sheet of a material containing alkaloids comprising: - a first layer comprising a substrate sheet including fibres having a mean fibre length comprised between about 1 millimetres and about 5 millimetres, the first layer defining a first surface and a second surface; - a second layer comprising a mixture of: a powder of the material containing alkaloids, the powder having a size comprised between about 8 micrometers and about 200 micrometers; water; a binder; an aerosol former; the second layer being applied to the first surface of the substrate sheet, and wherein the binder is comprised in an amount comprised between about 0 percent and about 1 percent of the total weight of the multi-layered sheet of material containing alkaloids..