HYDROPHOBIC TIPPING PAPER

Abstract

A smoking article includes a tobacco substrate and a mouthpiece axially aligned in an abutting end to end relationship with the tobacco substrate. Hydrophobic tipping paper is disposed about the mouthpiece. The tipping paper is hydrophobic due to hydrophobic groups covalently bonded to the tipping paper.

Claims

1. A smoking article comprising: a tobacco substrate; a mouthpiece axially aligned in an abutting end to end relationship with the tobacco substrate; and tipping paper disposed about the mouthpiece, wherein the tipping paper is hydrophobic due to hydrophobic groups covalently bonded to the tipping paper.

2. A smoking article according to claim 1, wherein the tipping paper has a water contact angle of at least about 100 degrees.

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

4. A smoking article according to claim 1, wherein the tipping paper has a basis weight in a range from about 30 to about 90 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 of the tipping paper by reacting in situ a fatty acid chloride with the cellulosic material.

6. A smoking article according to claim 1, wherein the hydrophobic tipping paper 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 tipping paper exhibits a Cobb measurement value (60s) of less than 20 g/m.sup.2.

9. A smoking article according to claim 1, wherein the hydrophobic tipping paper 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 tipping paper, 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 tipping paper 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 tipping paper at a temperature of about 120° C. to about 180° C., wherein hydroxyl groups in the cellulosic material of the tipping 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 tipping 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 the tipping paper hydrophobic.

12. A method of forming a smoking article according to claim 1 comprising reacting a fatty acid chloride with cellulosic material of the tipping paper to form a hydrophobic tipping paper.

13. A method for making hydrophobic tipping paper comprising the steps of: applying a liquid composition comprising a fatty acid halide to at least one surface of a tipping paper, 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 tipping paper resulting in the formation of fatty acid esters.

14. The method according to claim 13 wherein the tipping paper comprising cellulosic material which comprises hydroxyl groups that react in situ with stearoyl chloride or palmitoyl chloride.

15. The method according to claim 13 wherein the applying step comprises printing the liquid composition comprising a fatty acid halide on at least one surface of a tipping paper at a rate in a range from about 0.1 to about 3 grams per square meter to render the at least one surface of a tipping paper hydrophobic.

16. The method according to claim 12 further comprising joining a tobacco substrate to a mouthpiece with the hydrophobic tipping paper.

17. A smoking article according to claim 1, wherein the tipping paper fixes the tobacco substrate to the mouthpiece.

18. A smoking article according to claim 3, wherein the hydrophobic group is a fatty acid ester.

19. A smoking article according to claim 1, wherein the hydrophobic tipping paper defines a uniform or non-uniform pattern of discrete hydrophobic areas on the tipping paper.

20. The method according to claim 12 wherein the reacting step comprises printing the fatty acid chloride onto the tipping paper to form a hydrophobic tipping paper.

Description

[0069] FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of an embodiment of a partially unrolled smoking article.

[0070] The smoking articles depicted in FIG. 1 illustrate one or more embodiments of smoking articles or components 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.

[0071] 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 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. Hydrophobic tipping paper 50 circumscribes the plug wrap 60 and a portion of the wrapper 40.

[0072] 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.