Heat-Not-Burn Capsule Shell with Carrageenan Gel
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing heat-not-burn products face challenges in maintaining the structural integrity of capsules during heating, leading to potential rupture and failure, which affects the consistent delivery of aerosol and user experience.
Innovation Solution
A heat-not-burn article with a crushable capsule having a core-shell structure, where the shell comprises 5-90% carrageenan as a gelling agent and a plasticizer, maintaining structural integrity at temperatures up to 100°C, allowing the capsule to be crushed by the user for controlled aerosol release.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the capsule is made with traditional materials, then it can be easily crushed by the user, but it ruptures or fails under heat-not-burn conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The capsule shell is made from a composite material comprising gelatin and carrageenan. The gelatin provides flexibility and crushability while the carrageenan (a heat-stable polysaccharide) provides thermal stability and structural integrity at elevated temperatures. This composite approach allows the capsule to be both easily crushable by hand and resistant to rupture under heat-not-burn conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the chemical composition parameters of the capsule shell by incorporating carrageenan at specific concentrations (e.g., 1-10% w/w). This parameter modification alters the shell's thermal properties, raising its heat resistance threshold while preserving its mechanical properties for manual crushing. The gel-to-sol transition temperature of the capsule shell is adjusted to maintain integrity at operating temperatures.
2Ease of operation
If the capsule shell contains high gelatin content, then it remains flexible and crushable, but it loses structural integrity at elevated temperatures
Solution Approach 1:
The capsule shell combines gelatin (providing flexibility) with carrageenan (providing heat resistance). This composite structure allows the shell to remain flexible and crushable at room temperature while gaining thermal stability up to at least 80°C, resolving the contradiction between flexibility and heat resistance.
Solution Approach 2:
The capsule shell exhibits different properties at different temperature conditions: at room temperature it is flexible and easily crushed, but at elevated temperatures it becomes more rigid and heat-resistant. The carrageenan-gelatin composite provides temperature-dependent local quality changes that satisfy both requirements.
3Productivity
If the capsule is exposed to humid aerosol generation conditions, then it functions in the heat-not-burn device, but water causes the capsule to soften and fail
Solution Approach 1:
The carrageenan-gelatin composite shell provides resistance to water-induced softening. Carrageenan forms a more water-stable gel structure than gelatin alone, maintaining capsule integrity during humid aerosol generation while still allowing the capsule to function in the heat-not-burn device environment.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention converts the potentially harmful effect of moisture (which would normally soften and weaken the capsule) into a beneficial effect. The carrageenan-gelatin composite is designed to be more water-stable than traditional gelatin shells, so the humid environment of aerosol generation no longer compromises capsule integrity but rather maintains it throughout the product lifecycle.
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 capsules are less likely to fail or rupture under heat-not-burn conditions, enabling consistent aerosol delivery and providing tactile feedback, enhancing user experience through controlled capsule crushing.
Implementation Method 1
the shell comprises 5-90% by weight based on the total capsule shell weight of a gelling agent, wherein the gelling agent comprises carrageenan
Data Source
AI summary
Provided herein is a heat-not-burn article including an aerosol generating medium and a filter. The filter contains one or more crushable capsules. In use, the aerosol generating medium is heated without being combusted, and the capsule is exposed to a temperature of about 30 to 100° C. During the exposure the structural integrity of the capsule is not compromised such that the capsule can be crushed by the user before, during or after heating.