Hydrophobic plug wrap

Abstract

A smoking article includes a tobacco substrate and a filter segment comprising filtration material axially aligned in an abutting end to end relationship with the tobacco substrate. A hydrophobic plug wrap is disposed about the filtration material. The plug wrap is hydrophobic via hydrophobic groups chemically bonded to the plug wrap.

Claims

1. A smoking article comprising: a tobacco substrate; a filter segment at a mouth end of the smoking article, comprising filtration material axially aligned in an abutting end to end relationship with the tobacco substrate; a plug wrap disposed about the filtration material and comprising a downstream end at the mouth end of the smoking article and an upstream end opposite of the downstream end, wherein the plug wrap has a hydrophobic surface due to hydrophobic groups covalently bonded to the plug wrap, wherein the hydrophobic surface of the plug wrap has a water contact angle of at least about 100 degrees, wherein the hydrophobic surface is not present at the upstream end of the plug wrap; and a tipping paper circumscribing the plug wrap; wherein the hydrophobic surface comprises at least 100 discrete islands defining a pattern of hydrophobic area on the surface of the plug wrap, and the at least 100 discrete islands having an average lateral dimension of 5 μm to 100 μm.

2. A smoking article according to claim 1, wherein the filter segment comprises a liquid releasing component which comprises a liquid flavourant.

3. A smoking article according to claim 1, wherein the plug wrap comprises cellulosic material and a hydrophobic group is covalently bonded to the cellulosic material.

4. A smoking article according to claim 1, wherein the plug wrap has a basis weight in a range from about 20 to about 100 grams per square meter and the hydrophobic group has a basis weight in a range from about 0.1 to about 3 grams per square meter.

5. A smoking article according to claim 1, wherein the hydrophobic group is covalently bonded to cellulosic material by reacting in situ a fatty acid chloride with the cellulosic material.

6. A smoking article according to claim 1, wherein the hydrophobic plug wrap comprises fatty acid esters of cellulose.

7. A smoking article according to claim 5, wherein the fatty acid chloride is palmitoyl chloride, stearoyl chloride, behenoyl chloride, or a mixture of palmitoyl chloride and stearoyl chloride.

8. A smoking article according to claim 1, wherein the plug wrap is paper and exhibits a Cobb measurement value (60 s) of less than 20 g/m.sup.2.

9. A smoking article according to claim 1, wherein the hydrophobic plug wrap is produced by a process comprising the steps of: applying a liquid composition comprising a fatty acid halide to at least one surface of a plug wrap, maintaining the surface at a temperature of about 120° C. to about 180° C., wherein the fatty acid halide reacts in situ with protogenic groups of material in the plug wrap resulting in the formation of fatty acid esters.

10. A smoking article according to claim 9, wherein the process comprises applying a liquid composition comprising stearoyl chloride or palmitoyl chloride to at least one surface of a plug wrap paper at a temperature of about 120° C. to about 180° C., wherein hydroxyl groups in the cellulosic material of the plug wrap paper reacts in situ with the stearoyl chloride or palmitoyl chloride.

11. A smoking article according to claim 9, wherein the process comprises applying the liquid composition to the at least one surface of a plug wrap paper at a rate of in a range from about 0.1 to about 3 grams per square meter to render the at least one surface of a plug wrap paper hydrophobic.

12. A smoking article according to claim 10, wherein the process comprises applying the liquid composition to the at least one surface of a plug wrap paper at a rate of in a range from about 0.1 to about 3 grams per square meter to render the at least one surface of a plug wrap paper hydrophobic.

13. A smoking article according to claim 10, wherein the hydrophobic plug wrap paper exhibits a Cobb measurement value (60 s) of less than 20 g/m.sup.2.

14. A smoking article according to claim 10, wherein the filter segment comprises a liquid releasing component which comprises a liquid flavourant.

15. A smoking article according to claim 1, wherein the hydrophobic surface comprises at least 500 discrete islands having an average lateral dimension of 5 μm to 50 μm forming the hydrophobic surface.

16. A smoking article according to claim 1, wherein the plug wrap comprises an inner surface and an outer surface, and wherein the hydrophobic surface is present on the outer surface.

Description

(1) FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of an embodiment of a partially unrolled smoking article.

(2) FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of a plug wrap.

(3) The smoking articles depicted in FIG. 1 illustrates one or more embodiments of smoking articles described above. The schematic drawings are not necessarily to scale and are presented for purposes of illustration and not limitation. The drawings depict one or more aspects described in this disclosure. However, it will be understood that other aspects not depicted in the drawings fall within the scope and spirit of this disclosure.

(4) Referring now to FIG. 1, a smoking article 10 is depicted. The smoking article 10 includes a tobacco substrate 20, such as a tobacco rod, and a mouth end segment 30 and a lit end tip 70. The mouthpiece 30 can abut the tobacco substrate 20 in the finished smoking article 10. The depicted smoking article 10, includes a hydrophobic plug wrap 60 that circumscribes at least a portion of the filter or mouthpiece segment 30 and a wrapper 40 that circumscribes at least a portion of the tobacco substrate 20. A flavour capsule 35 is illustrated within the filter segment 30. Tipping paper 50 or other suitable wrapper circumscribes hydrophobic the plug wrap 60 and a portion of the wrapper 40.

(5) The exemplary embodiments described above are not limiting. Other embodiments consistent with the exemplary embodiments described above will be apparent to those skilled in the art.