LIQUID NICOTINE FORMULATION COMPRISING LOW MOLAR MASS METAL SALT

Abstract

A liquid nicotine formulation for an aerosol-generating system is provided, the nicotine formulation including: one or more water-miscible polyhydric alcohols, the nicotine formulation having a water-miscible polyhydric alcohol content of greater than or equal to about 5 percent by weight; and one or more low molar mass metal salts, the one or more low molar mass metal salts being selected from the group consisting of metal cinnamates, metal cycloheptanecarboxylates, metal levulinates, metal propanoates, metal stearates, and metal undecanoates. An aerosol-generating article and an aerosol-generating system are also provided.

Claims

1.-14. (canceled)

15. A liquid nicotine formulation for an aerosol-generating system, the nicotine formulation comprising: one or more water-miscible polyhydric alcohols, wherein the nicotine formulation has a water-miscible polyhydric alcohol content of greater than or equal to about 5 percent by weight; and one or more low molar mass metal salts, wherein the one or more low molar mass metal salts are selected from the group consisting of metal cinnamates, metal cycloheptanecarboxylates, metal levulinates, metal propanoates, metal stearates, and metal undecanoates.

16. The liquid nicotine formulation according to claim 15, wherein the one or more low molar mass metal salts are one or more low molar mass non-saccharide metal salts.

17. The liquid nicotine formulation according to claim 15, wherein the one or more low molar mass metal salts are sodium stearate.

18. The liquid nicotine formulation according to claim 15, wherein the nicotine formulation has a low molar mass metal salt content of between about 0.5 percent and about 15 percent by weight.

19. The liquid nicotine formulation according to claim 15, wherein the nicotine formulation has a water-miscible polyhydric alcohol content of at least about 60 percent by weight.

20. The liquid nicotine formulation according to claim 15, wherein the one or more water-miscible polyhydric alcohols comprise glycerine.

21. The liquid nicotine formulation according to claim 20, wherein the one or more water-miscible polyhydric alcohols comprise glycerine and propylene glycol.

22. The liquid nicotine formulation according to claim 21, wherein a ratio of the weight percent glycerine content to the weight percent propylene glycol content of the nicotine formulation is greater than or equal to about 1.

23. The liquid nicotine formulation according to claim 15, further comprising water.

24. The liquid nicotine formulation according to claim 23, wherein the nicotine formulation has a water content of less than or equal to about 10 percent by weight.

25. The liquid nicotine formulation according to claim 15, further comprising one or more organic acids, wherein the liquid nicotine formulation has an organic acid content of between about 0.5 percent and about 4 percent by weight.

26. The liquid nicotine formulation according to claim 15, wherein the nicotine formulation has a viscosity at 25° C. of greater than or equal to about 10 Pa s.

27. An aerosol-generating article for an aerosol-generating system, the aerosol-generating article containing a liquid nicotine formulation according to claim 15.

28. An aerosol-generating system, comprising: a liquid nicotine formulation according to claim 15; and an atomiser configured to generate an aerosol from the liquid nicotine formulation.

Description

[0149] Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the following examples and accompanying drawings, in which:

[0150] FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional side view of an aerosol-generating system comprising an aerosol-generating device and an aerosol-generating article comprising a liquid nicotine formulation according to the invention;

[0151] FIG. 2 is a schematic sectional view of a spring-loaded aerosol-generating article comprising a liquid nicotine formulation according to the invention; and

[0152] FIG. 3 is a schematic sectional view of a “lip-stick” advance mechanism aerosol-generating article comprising a liquid nicotine formulation according to the invention.

[0153] FIG. 1 shows an aerosol-generating system 400 comprising an aerosol-generating device 600 and an aerosol-generating article 500.

[0154] The aerosol-generating device 600 shown in FIG. 1 is configured for receiving the aerosol-generating article 500. The aerosol-generating device 600 comprises a housing 601 and a receptacle 610 formed in the housing 601. The receptacle 610 is constructed for receiving the aerosol-generating article 500. The receptacle 610 may be sized and shaped so that when the aerosol-generating article 500 is inserted in the receptacle 610, at least a portion of the aerosol-generating article 500 remains outside of the receptacle 610.

[0155] The aerosol-generating device 600 comprises a heating element 622 at the closed end of the receptacle 610. The heating element 622 comprises a mesh layer.

[0156] The aerosol-generating device 600 may include a power supply 651 operably connected to a controller 653 and optional graphical user interface 652. The power supply 651 operably connected to a controller 653 may be disposed within the housing 601. The graphical user interface 652 may be disposed on the housing 601.

[0157] The aerosol-generating article 500 includes a body 512 defining a cavity 512 having a cavity opening 515. An aerosol-forming substrate 511 is disposed in the cavity 510. The body 512 includes a closed end portion 551 that may be a ring or rotation portion or a fixed support.

[0158] Alternatively, the aerosol-generating article 500 may include an advancement mechanism may be arranged in the proximal end of the aerosol-generating article 500. The advancement mechanism may be configured as a piston-type element. The advancement mechanism may be configured as a screw-type element. The advancement mechanism may translate rotational movement into lateral movement.

[0159] The cavity opening of the aerosol-generating article 500 abuts the heating element 622 when the aerosol-generating article 500 is received into the receptacle 610 of the aerosol-generating device 600. The heating element 622 is disposed proximate to the cavity opening 515. The aerosol-forming substrate 511 of the aerosol-generating article 500 is a liquid nicotine formulation according to the invention that may flow into and through the mesh layer of the heating element 622.

[0160] Air may flow into the receptacle 610 aerosol-generating device 600 and entrain the volatized aerosol components from the heated aerosol-forming substrate 511 and through the aerosol-generating device 600 via an air channel 650 and to the consumer.

[0161] FIG. 2 is a schematic sectional view of a spring-loaded aerosol-generating article 500. The aerosol-generating article 500 includes a body 512 defining a cavity 510 having a cavity opening 515. The aerosol-forming substrate 511 is disposed in the cavity 512. The heating element 622 is disposed proximate to the cavity opening 515. The body 512 includes a closed end portion 551 that may be a fixed support. A spring element 517 biases a movable rigid base 513 to the spring support 551 fixed to the body 512. The aerosol-forming substrate 511 is a liquid nicotine formulation according to the invention that may flow into and through the mesh layer of the heating element 622.

[0162] FIG. 3 is a schematic sectional view of a “lip-stick” advance mechanism aerosol-generating article 500. The aerosol-generating article 500 includes a body 512 defining a cavity 510 having a cavity opening 515. The aerosol-forming substrate 511 is disposed in the cavity 512. The heating element 622 is disposed proximate to the cavity opening 515. The body 512 includes a ring or rotation element 551 that is coupled to the movable rigid base 513 and translates rotational movement into lateral movement via a spiral or helical groove 514. Pins (not shown) couple the rigid base 513 to the spiral or helical groove 514 to provide the lateral movement of the aerosol-forming substrate 511. The aerosol-forming substrate 511 is a liquid nicotine formulation according to the invention that may flow into and through the mesh layer of the heating element 622.

[0163] In alternative embodiments (not shown), the aerosol-generating system may comprise an automatic mechanism to move or advance the aerosol-forming substrate 511 toward the heating element 622. In such alternative embodiments, the controller 653 of the aerosol-generating device 600 may activate an actuator or advancement mechanism on either the aerosol-generating article 500 or the aerosol- generating device 600 to advance the aerosol-forming substrate 511 and rigid base 513 toward the heating element 622 upon detecting that the heating element 622 is not in contact the aerosol-forming substrate 511.

EXAMPLES

[0164] Three liquid nicotine formulations according to the invention (Examples A, B and C) were prepared having the compositions and viscosities shown in Table 2.

TABLE-US-00002 TABLE 2 Example A B C Nicotine (% by weight) 2 2 2 Water (% by weight) 6 6 6 Vegetable Glycerine polyhydric alcohol 91 68 91.5 (% by weight) Propylene Glycol polyhydric alcohol 0 23 0 (% by weight) Sodium Stearate low molar mass metal salt 1 1 0.5 (% by weight) Viscosity (Pa s) 3366 225 185

[0165] Each of the three liquid nicotine compositions was prepared by: [0166] (1) heating the one or more polyhydric alcohols to a temperature of between about 100° C. and about 120° C. using a hotplate stirrer; [0167] (2) adding a fine powder of the low molar mass metal salt to the one or more polyhydric alcohols, while stirring constantly, and then continuing to heat the mixture to a temperature of between about 85° C. and about 95° C. until the mixture was clear; [0168] (3) adding water to the clear mixture; [0169] (4) decreasing the heating temperature of the mixture to about 50° C. and adding nicotine to the mixture, while stirring constantly; and [0170] (5) pouring the heated mixture into a mold and then allowing the mixture to cool and congeal to form the liquid nicotine composition.

[0171] As shown in Table 2, inclusion of less than or equal to about 1 percent by weight of low molar mass metal salt (sodium stearate) results in the liquid nicotine formulations having a viscosity at 25° C. of greater than or equal to about 185 Pa s.