Microtextured Liquid Transport Element for Uniform Aerosol Heating
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing aerosol delivery devices, such as electronic cigarettes, face issues with heating inefficiency, non-uniform heating or vaporization, and charring/pyrolysis due to traditional wick/coil designs, which affect the sensory experience and device longevity.
Innovation Solution
The use of a nonfibrous liquid transport element with a microtextured surface and a patterned electrical resistance heating element, combined with a secondary liquid transport element, enhances surface wicking and uniform heating, reducing charring/pyrolysis and improving efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If a traditional wick/coil design is used, then the device can deliver aerosol, but heating efficiency is poor and charring/pyrolysis occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a porous ceramic material as the heating element substrate, which provides controlled porosity for liquid distribution while maintaining structural integrity at high temperatures. The porous structure enables uniform liquid penetration and evaporation, preventing charring and pyrolysis that occur with traditional wick/coil designs. The ceramic material's thermal properties ensure efficient heat transfer without creating hot spots that cause decomposition.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses a composite structure combining ceramic material with metallic heating elements and optional coating layers. This composite approach integrates the advantages of each material: ceramic provides thermal stability and controlled porosity, metal provides electrical conductivity and heating efficiency, and coatings can provide chemical inertness or enhanced wettability. This multi-material system resolves the contradiction by ensuring uniform heating without charring.
2Stability of the object's composition
If a wick/coil design is used, then the device can transport liquid, but heating uniformity is poor
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements local quality variations in the ceramic heating element through controlled porosity gradients and surface texture variations. Different regions of the ceramic structure have optimized pore sizes and distributions tailored to specific functional requirements: higher porosity regions facilitate liquid absorption and distribution, while lower porosity regions provide structural support and controlled evaporation. This spatial variation in material properties ensures uniform heating across the entire liquid contact surface, preventing both under-heating and overheating zones.
3Productivity
If a nonfibrous microtextured liquid transport element is used, then surface wicking is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent achieves microtextured surface functionality by controlling fundamental material parameters during ceramic fabrication, such as pore size distribution, pore interconnectivity, and surface area-to-volume ratio. By adjusting formulation compositions, sintering temperatures, and processing conditions, the desired microtextured structure emerges naturally from the manufacturing process rather than requiring complex post-processing. This parameter-based approach enables efficient liquid transport through capillary action while keeping the overall device architecture simple and manufacturable.
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 microtextured surface wicking and patterned heating element configuration provides improved uniformity of heating, increased efficiency, and reduced charring/pyrolysis, enhancing the overall performance and sensory experience of aerosol delivery devices.
Implementation Method 1
a nonfibrous liquid transport element having a microtextured surface adapted for surface wicking of the liquid aerosol precursor composition across the microtextured surface
Implementation Method 2
an electrical resistance heating element... configured to heat an aerosol precursor composition
Data Source
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AI summary
The present disclosure relates to aerosol delivery devices.The aerosol delivery devices may include a reservoir containing a liquid aerosol precursor composition and an atomizer including an electrical resistance heating element and a nonfibrous liquid transport element having a microtextured surface adapted for surface wicking of the liquid aerosol precursor composition across the microtextured surface, the microtextured surface of the liquid transport element being in fluid communication with the reservoir and in fluid communication with the electric resistance heating element.