CN115666277A - Aerosol Generating Materials - Google Patents

Abstract

The aerosol generating material comprises strands and/or strips of tobacco material and strips of amorphous solid material. The strands and/or strips of tobacco material and the strips of amorphous solid material each have a length of at least about 5mm. Also described are articles of manufacture, packages of articles of manufacture, consumables for an aerosol provision system, non-combustible aerosol provision systems and various methods of producing aerosol generating materials comprising the aerosol generating material.

Description

Aerosol Generating Materials

technical field

The present invention relates to aerosol-generating materials, articles comprising aerosol-generating materials, packaging for articles, consumables for aerosol supply systems, non-combustible aerosol supply systems and methods for producing aerosol-generating materials.

Background technique

Certain tobacco industry products generate aerosols during use, which are inhaled by users. For example, a tobacco heating device heats an aerosol-generating substrate, such as tobacco, to form an aerosol by heating rather than burning the substrate. Such tobacco industry products can comprise a mouthpiece through which the aerosol reaches the user's mouth.

Contents of the invention

According to some embodiments described herein, in a first aspect there is provided an aerosol-generating material comprising strands and/or strands of tobacco material and strands of amorphous (amorphous) solid material, wherein The strands and/or strands of tobacco material and strands of amorphous solid material each have a length of at least about 5 mm.

According to some embodiments described herein, in a second aspect there is provided an article comprising the aerosol generating material according to the first aspect.

According to some embodiments described herein, in a third aspect, there is provided a package comprising a plurality of articles, each article according to the second aspect above, wherein the number of strips of amorphous solid material is within the package less than 40% variation between articles in said packaging, or less than 30% variation between articles in said packaging, or less than 20% variation between articles in said packaging.

According to some embodiments described herein, in a fourth aspect, there is provided a package comprising a plurality of articles, each article according to the second aspect above, wherein the strips of amorphous solid material comprise a flavoring agent, optionally is menthol, and wherein, in use, the flavorant delivered from each of said plurality of articles varies by less than 50% between articles in said package, or by less than 20% between articles in said package %.

According to some embodiments described herein, in a fifth aspect there is provided a package comprising a plurality of articles each according to the second aspect above, wherein the strips of amorphous solid material comprise a flavoring agent, optionally Menthol, and wherein the total content of said flavoring agent in each of said plurality of preparations, when used, has a standard deviation of less than 30% of the mean content of said flavoring agent in said preparations, or has a standard deviation of less than 20% and wherein at least 20% of the average flavor is provided in the amorphous solid material of the bar.

According to some embodiments described herein, in a sixth aspect there is provided a package comprising a plurality of articles each according to the second aspect above, wherein the strips of amorphous solid material comprise a flavoring agent, optionally Menthol, and the total amount of the flavoring agent is 5-30mg/product, or 16-22mg/product, or 5-10mg/product, or 17-30mg/product.

According to some embodiments described herein, in a seventh aspect there is provided a package comprising a plurality of articles each according to the second aspect above, wherein the strips of amorphous solid material comprise a flavoring agent, optionally menthol, and the standard deviation of the total amount of flavoring agent between articles in said package is less than 30% or 20% of the average total amount of said flavoring agent wt%, and wherein said amorphous solid accounts for At least 50% of the average total amount of flavoring agent.

According to some embodiments described herein, in an eighth aspect there is provided a package comprising a plurality of articles, each article according to the second aspect above, wherein said articles have ventilation, and wherein said package contains The standard deviation of ventilation levels between articles is less than 15%, or less than 10%, or less than 9%.

According to some embodiments described herein, in a ninth aspect there is provided a package comprising a plurality of articles, each article according to the second aspect above, wherein the strips of amorphous solid material comprise an aerosol-forming agent, optionally is glycerol, and wherein the total content of said aerosol-forming agent in each of said plurality of preparations has a standard deviation of less than 30% of the mean content of said aerosol-forming agent in said preparations at the time of use, or has A standard deviation of less than 25% of the average content of said aerosol-forming agent in said article, and wherein at least 20% of said average aerosol-forming agent is provided in the amorphous solid material of said bar.

According to some embodiments described herein, in a tenth aspect there is provided a consumable for an aerosol supply system, wherein the consumable comprises an article according to the second aspect.

According to some embodiments described herein, in an eleventh aspect there is provided a non-combustible aerosol supply system comprising a non-combustible aerosol supply device and a consumable according to the fifth aspect, wherein the device is arranged to heat the aerosol-generating material of the consumable.

According to some embodiments described herein, in a twelfth aspect, there is provided a method for producing an aerosol-generating material according to the first aspect, comprising cutting a sheet of amorphous solid material into strips having a diameter of at least about 5 mm. Amorphous solid material of cut length.

According to some embodiments described herein, in a thirteenth aspect there is provided a method for producing an aerosol generating material, the method comprising feeding a single thickness sheet of amorphous solid material to a cutting device and cutting the resulting single-thickness sheet.

According to some embodiments described herein, in a fourteenth aspect there is provided a method for producing an aerosol generating material, the method comprising cutting a first portion of amorphous solid material to form a plurality of strips having a first length A first assembly of amorphous solid material, and cutting a second portion of the amorphous solid material to form a second assembly comprising a plurality of strips of amorphous solid material having a second length different from the first length.

According to some embodiments described herein, in a fifteenth aspect there is provided a method for producing an aerosol generating material comprising cutting a sheet of amorphous solid material to form a plurality of strips of amorphous solid material, and mixing the strips Amorphous solid material and tobacco material, wherein said cutting step and said mixing step are performed within 12 hours of each other, or within 6 hours of each other, or within 2 hours of each other, or within 30 minutes of each other.

Description of drawings

Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a side cross-sectional view of an article for use with a non-combustible aerosol delivery device, the article including a mouthpiece;

Figure 2a is a side cross-sectional view of another article for use with a non-combustible aerosol delivery device, in this example comprising a capsule-containing mouthpiece;

Figure 2b is a cross-sectional view of the mouthpiece containing the capsule shown in Figure 2a.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of a non-combustible aerosol delivery device for generating aerosols from the aerosol generating material of the articles of Figures 1, 2a and 2b;

Figure 4 illustrates the device of Figure 3 with the housing removed and no article present;

Figure 5 is a side view of the device of Figure 3 in partial cross-section;

Figure 6 is an exploded view of the device of Figure 3, with the housing omitted.

Figure 7A is a cross-sectional view of a portion of the device of Figure 3;

Figure 7B is a close-up illustration of a region of the device of Figure 7A;

Figure 8 is a flow diagram illustrating a first method of producing an aerosol generating material; and

Figure 9 is a flow diagram illustrating a second method of producing an aerosol generating material.

Detailed ways

As used herein, the term "delivery system" is intended to encompass systems that deliver at least one substance to a user, and includes:

Combustible aerosol delivery systems such as cigarettes, cigarillos, cigars and tobacco (whether based on tobacco, tobacco derivatives, expanded tobacco, reconstituted tobacco, tobacco substitutes or other absorbable materials);

Non-combustible aerosol delivery systems that release compounds from aerosol generating materials without burning said aerosol generating materials, such as electronic cigarettes, tobacco heating products, and hybrid systems that use combinations of aerosol generating materials to generate aerosols; and

Aerosol-free delivery systems, which deliver at least one substance orally, nasally, transdermally or otherwise to a user without forming an aerosol, including, but not limited to, lozenges, gums, patches, containing inhalable Powdered preparations and oral products, such as oral tobacco including snus or moist snuff, wherein the at least one substance may or may not include nicotine.

According to the present disclosure, a "combustible" aerosol delivery system is an aerosol delivery system in which the constituent aerosol-generating materials of the aerosol delivery system (or components thereof) are burned or burnt during use to promote at least one The substance is delivered to the user.

In some embodiments, the delivery system is a combustible aerosol delivery system, such as a system selected from the group consisting of cigarettes, cigarillos, and cigars.

In some embodiments, the present disclosure relates to components used in combustible aerosol supply systems, such as filters, filter rods, filter segments, tobacco rods, spills, aerosol modifier release components such as capsules, Thread or beads, or paper such as plug wrap (plug wrap, high-speed filter paper), tipping paper or cigarette paper.

According to the present disclosure, a "non-combustible" aerosol delivery system is one in which the constituent aerosol-generating materials of the aerosol delivery system (or components thereof) do not burn or burn off to facilitate delivery of at least one substance to a user.

In some embodiments, the delivery system is a non-flammable aerosol delivery system, such as an electrically powered non-flammable aerosol delivery system.

In some embodiments, the non-combustible aerosol delivery system is an electronic cigarette, also known as a vaporizing device or electronic nicotine delivery system (END), but please note that the presence of nicotine in the aerosol generating material is not required.

In some embodiments, the non-combustible aerosol supply system is an aerosol-generating material heating system, also referred to as a heat non-combustible system. An example of such a system is a tobacco heating system.

In some embodiments, the non-combustible aerosol supply system is a hybrid system that uses a combination of aerosol-generating materials to generate an aerosol, wherein one or more of the aerosol-generating materials can be heated. Each of said aerosol-generating materials may, for example, be in solid, liquid or gel form, and may or may not contain nicotine. In some embodiments, the hybrid system comprises a liquid or gel aerosol-generating material and a solid aerosol-generating material. The solid aerosol-generating material can include, for example, tobacco or non-tobacco products.

In general, a non-combustible aerosol supply system may include a non-combustible aerosol supply and a consumable for use with the non-combustible aerosol supply.

In some embodiments, the present disclosure relates to consumables comprising an aerosol-generating material and configured for use with a non-combustible aerosol supply. Throughout this disclosure, these consumables are sometimes referred to as articles of manufacture.

In some embodiments, the non-combustible aerosol supply system, such as the non-combustible aerosol supply device thereof, can include a power source and a controller. For example, the power source may be an electrical or exothermic power source. In some embodiments, the exothermic power source comprises a carbon substrate that can be energized to distribute power in the form of heat to the aerosol generating material or heat transfer material proximate to the exothermic power source.

In some embodiments, the non-combustible aerosol supply system can include a region for receiving consumables, an aerosol generator, an aerosol generating region, a housing, a mouthpiece, a filter and/or an aerosol modifier.

In some embodiments, consumables for use with the non-combustible aerosol supply may include an aerosol generating material, an aerosol generating material storage area, an aerosol generating material transfer assembly, an aerosol generator, an aerosol generating area , housing, wrapper, filter, mouthpiece and/or aerosol modifier.

In some embodiments, the substance to be delivered may be an aerosol-generating material or a material not intended to be aerosolized. Either material may contain one or more active ingredients, one or more flavorants, one or more aerosol former materials, and/or one or more other functional materials, as appropriate.

In some embodiments, the substance to be delivered comprises an active substance.

An active substance as used herein may be a physiologically active material, which is a material intended to effect or enhance a physiological response. The active substance may, for example, be selected from nutraceuticals, nootropics, psychoactive substances. The active substance may be natural or synthetically obtained. The active substance may include, for example, nicotine, caffeine, taurine, theine, vitamins such as B6 or B12 or C, melatonin, cannabinoids or components, derivatives or combinations thereof. The active material may comprise one or more components, derivatives or extracts of tobacco, or another plant material.

In some embodiments, the active substance includes nicotine. In some embodiments, the active agent includes caffeine, melatonin, or vitamin B12.

As described herein, the active substance may comprise or be derived from one or more plant substances or components, derivatives or extracts thereof. As used herein, the term "botanical" includes any material derived from plants, including, but not limited to, extracts, leaves, bark, fibers, stems, roots, seeds, flowers, fruits, pollen, husks, shells wait. Alternatively, the material may comprise active compounds which are naturally present in plant matter and which are obtained synthetically. The material may be in the form of a liquid, gas, solid, powder, dust, crushed pellets, granules, pellets, chips, strands, flakes, and the like. Examples of vegetable matter are tobacco, eucalyptus, star anise, hemp, cocoa, fennel, lemongrass, mint, spearmint, rooibos, chamomile, flax, ginger, ginkgo biloba, hazel, hibiscus , laurel, licorice (licorice), matcha, plant mate (mate), orange peel, papaya, rose, sage, tea such as green or black tea, thyme, cloves, cinnamon, coffee, anise (star anise), basil, Bay leaf, cardamom, coriander, cumin, nutmeg, oregano, paprika, rosemary, saffron, lavender, lemon zest, mint, juniper, elderflower, vanilla, wintergreen, perilla, turmeric, turmeric root Turmeric, Sandalwood, Coriander Leaf, Bergamot, Neroli, Myrtle, Black Currant, Valerian, Allspice, Mace, Damian, Marjoram, Olive, Lemon Balm, Lemon Basil, Fine Chives, caraway, verbena, tarragon, geranium, mulberry, ginseng, theanine, bitterophylline, maca, ashwagandha, damina, guarana, chlorophyll, baobab, or any combination thereof . Mint may be selected from the following mint varieties: field mint (Mentha arvensis), Mentha c.v., Egyptian mint (Mentha niliaca), peppermint (Mentha piperita), lemon mint (Menthapiperita citrata c.v), Mentha piperita c.v., spearmint (Mentha spicata crispa), spearmint (Mentha cordifolia), horse mint (Metha longifolia), pineapple mint (mentha suaveolensvariegata), lip calyx mint (Mentha pulegium), spearmint (Mentha spicata c.v.) and apple mint (Mentha suaveolens.).

In some embodiments, the active substance comprises or is derived from one or more plant matter or components, derivatives or extracts thereof, and the plant matter is tobacco.

In some embodiments, the active substance comprises or is derived from one or more plant matter or components, derivatives or extracts thereof, and the plant matter is selected from the group consisting of eucalyptus, star anise, cocoa and hemp.

In some embodiments, the active substance comprises or is derived from one or more plant substances or components, derivatives or extracts thereof, and the plant substances are selected from rooibos and fennel.

In some embodiments, the substance to be delivered includes a flavoring agent.

As used herein, the terms "flavoring" and "flavoring" refer to materials that, where permitted by local regulations, produce a desired taste, aroma, or other bodily sensation in a product for an adult consumer. They may include natural flavoring materials, plant substances, extracts of plant substances, materials obtained synthetically, or combinations thereof (e.g., tobacco, licorice (licorice), hydrangea, eugenol, Japanese magnolia leaves, chamomile, pepper Lumber, Clove, Maple, Matcha, Peppermint, Japonica, Star Anise (Fennel), Cinnamon, Turmeric, Indian Flavor, Asian Flavor, Herb, Wintergreen, Cherry, Berries, Cranberry, Cranberry, Peaches, Apple , Oranges, Mangoes, Clementines, Lemons, Limes, Tropical Fruits, Papaya, Rhubarb, Grapes, Durian, Dragon Fruit, Cucumbers, Blueberries, Mulberries, Citrus Fruits, Drambuie, Bourbon, Scotch , whiskey, gin, tequila, rum, spearmint, mint, lavender, aloe vera, cardamom, celery, cascarella, nutmeg, sandalwood, bergamot, geranium, khat (khat ), naswar, betel nut, hookah, pine, honey essence, rose oil, vanilla, lemon oil, orange oil, orange blossom, cherry blossom, cassia, caraway, cognac, jasmine, Lan-ylang, sage, fennel, mustard, coloring, ginger, coriander, coffee, hemp, peppermint oil from any Mentha species, eucalyptus, star anise, cocoa, lemongrass, rooibos, flax, ginkgo biloba, Hazel, hibiscus, laurel, botanical companion, orange peel, rose, teas such as green and black teas, thyme, juniper, elderflower, basil, bay leaf, cumin, oregano, paprika, rosemary, saffron , lemon zest, mint, basil (beefsteak plant), turmeric, cilantro, myrtle, black currant, valerian, allspice, mace, damien, marjoram, olives, lemon balm, lemon basil, Chives, parsley, verbena, tarragon, limonene, thymol, camphor, flavor enhancers, bitter receptor site blockers, sensory receptor site activators or stimulators, sugar and/or sugar substitutes ( For example, sucralose, acesulfame potassium, aspartame, saccharin, cyclamate, lactose, sucrose, glucose, fructose, sorbitol or mannitol), and other additives such as charcoal, chlorophyll, minerals, plant substances Or breath fresheners. They may be imitation, synthetic or natural ingredients or blends thereof. They may be in any suitable form, for example, a liquid such as an oil, a solid such as a powder, or a gas.

In some embodiments, the flavoring agent includes menthol, spearmint, and/or peppermint. In some embodiments, the flavoring agent includes cucumber, blueberry, citrus fruit, and/or cranberry flavor components. In some embodiments, the flavoring agent comprises eugenol. In some embodiments, the flavoring agent includes flavor components extracted from tobacco.

In some embodiments, the flavoring agent may comprise a sensate in addition to or in place of the aroma or taste nerves, which is intended to achieve the somatosensory sensations typically chemically induced and sensed by stimulation of the fifth cranial nerve (trigeminal nerve), And these may include agents that provide heating, cooling, stinging, and numbing effects. A suitable thermal effect agent may be, but not limited to, vanillyl ethyl ether, and a suitable cooling agent may be, but not limited to, eucolyptol WS-3.

An aerosol-generating material is, for example, a material capable of generating an aerosol when heated, irradiated or energized in any other way. For example, the aerosol-generating material may be in solid, liquid or gel form, which may or may not contain active substances and/or flavoring agents. In some embodiments, the aerosol-generating material may comprise an "amorphous solid", which may alternatively be referred to as a "monolithic solid" (ie, not fibrous). In some embodiments, the amorphous solid can be a dried gel. The amorphous solid is a solid material in which some fluid, such as a liquid, can remain.

In some embodiments, the amorphous solid comprises:

-1wt%-60wt% gelling agent;

- 0.1 wt% - 50 wt% aerosol former; and

- 0.1wt% - 80wt% flavoring agent;

These weights are calculated on a dry weight basis.

In some further embodiments, the amorphous solid comprises:

-1wt%-50wt% gelling agent;

- 0.1 wt% - 50 wt% aerosol former; and

- 30wt% - 60wt% flavoring agent;

These weights are calculated on a dry weight basis.

The amorphous solid material may be provided in sheet form.

In some further embodiments, the amorphous solid comprises:

- an aerosol former material in an amount of about 40% to 80% by weight of the amorphous solid;

- a gelling agent and optionally a filler (i.e. in some embodiments the filler is present in the amorphous solid and in other embodiments the filler is not present in the amorphous solid), wherein the gelling agent and the filler are added together The amount is about 10wt%-60wt% of the amorphous solid (that is, the gelling agent and filler add up to about 10wt%-60wt% of the amorphous solid); and

Optionally, the active and/or flavoring agent is present in an amount up to about 20 wt% of the amorphous solid (ie, the amorphous solid contains < 20 wt% active).

The amorphous solid material can be formed from a xerogel. The inventors have found that using these component ratios means that the flavor compounds are stabilized within the gel matrix as the gel sets, allowing higher flavor loadings to be achieved than in non-gel compositions. The flavor (eg menthol) is stabilized at high concentrations and the product has a good shelf life.

Suitably, the amorphous solid may comprise from about 1 wt%, 5 wt%, 10 wt%, 15 wt%, 20 wt%, 25 wt%, 30 wt% or 35 wt% to about 60 wt%, 55 wt%, 50 wt%, 45 wt%, 40 wt% Or 35wt% gelling agent (both calculated on dry weight basis). For example, the amorphous solid may comprise 1wt%-60wt%, 5wt%-60wt%, 20wt%-60wt%, 25wt%-55wt%, 30wt%-50wt%, 35wt%-45wt%, 1wt%-50wt%, 5wt%-45wt%, 10wt%-40wt%, or 20wt%-35wt% gelling agent. In some embodiments, the gelling agent comprises a hydrocolloid. In some embodiments, the gelling agent comprises one or more compounds selected from the group consisting of alginate, pectin, starch (and derivatives), cellulose (and derivatives), gums, silica or silicone compounds, Compounds of the group consisting of clay, polyvinyl alcohol, and combinations thereof. For example, in some embodiments, the gelling agent includes alginate, pectin, hydroxyethylcellulose, hydroxypropylcellulose, carboxymethylcellulose, pullulan, xanthan gum, guarana One or more of gelatin, carrageenan, agarose, gum arabic, fumed silica, PDMS, sodium silicate, kaolin and polyvinyl alcohol. In some cases, the gelling agent includes alginate and/or pectin, and may be combined with a coagulating agent such as a calcium source during the formation of the amorphous solid. In some cases, the amorphous solid can comprise calcium cross-linked alginate and/or calcium cross-linked pectin.

In some embodiments, the gelling agent comprises alginate, and the alginate is present in the amorphous solid in an amount of 5 wt% to 40 wt%, for example, 10 wt% to 30 wt% (based on dry weight). In some embodiments, the alginate is the only gelling agent present in the amorphous solid. In other embodiments, the gelling agent comprises alginate and at least one additional gelling agent, such as pectin.

In some examples, the alginate is present in the gelling agent in an amount of about 5% to 40% by weight, or 15% to 40% by weight of the amorphous solid. That is, the amorphous solid comprises alginate in an amount of about 5 wt% to 40 wt%, or 15 wt% to 40 wt%, based on the dry weight of the amorphous solid. In some examples, the amorphous solid comprises alginate in an amount of about 20 wt% to 40 wt%, or about 15 wt% to 35 wt% of the amorphous solid.

In some embodiments, the amount of pectin included in the gelling agent is about 3% to 15% by weight of the amorphous solid. That is, the amorphous solid comprises pectin in an amount of about 3% to 15% by weight based on the dry weight of the amorphous solid. In some embodiments, the amorphous solid comprises pectin in an amount of about 5% to 10% by weight of the amorphous solid.

In some examples, guar gum is included in the gelling agent in an amount of about 3% to 40% by weight of the amorphous solid. That is, the amorphous solid comprises guar gum in an amount of about 3% to 40% by weight, based on the dry weight of the amorphous solid. In some examples, the amorphous solid comprises guar gum in an amount of about 5% to 10% by weight of the amorphous solid. In some embodiments, the amorphous solid comprises guar gum in an amount of about 15 wt% to 40 wt%, or about 20 wt% to 40 wt%, or about 15 wt% to 35 wt% of the amorphous solid.

In some examples, the alginate is present in an amount of at least about 50% by weight of the gelling agent. In an example, the amorphous solid comprises alginate and pectin in a ratio of alginate to pectin of 1:1 to 10:1. The ratio of alginate to pectin is usually >1:1, ie alginate is present in an amount greater than that of pectin. In examples, the ratio of alginate to pectin is from about 2:1 to 8:1, or from about 3:1 to 6:1, or from about 4:1.

In some embodiments, the amorphous solid can comprise a gelling agent including carrageenan.

The gelling agent may comprise one or more compounds selected from the group consisting of cellulosic gelling agents, non-cellulosic gelling agents, guar gum, gum arabic, and mixtures thereof.

In some embodiments, the cellulose gelling agent is selected from the group consisting of hydroxymethylcellulose, hydroxyethylcellulose, hydroxypropylcellulose, carboxymethylcellulose (CMC), hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose (HPMC), methylcellulose, ethylcellulose, cellulose acetate (CA), cellulose acetate butyrate (CAB), cellulose acetate propionate (CAP), and combinations thereof.

In some embodiments, the gelling agent includes (or is) hydroxyethylcellulose, hydroxypropylcellulose, hydroxypropylmethylcellulose (HPMC), carboxymethylcellulose, guar gum, or gum arabic one or more of.

In some embodiments, the gelling agent comprises (or is) one or more non-cellulosic gelling agents including, but not limited to, agar-agar, xanthan gum, gum arabic, guar gum, locust bean gum, pectin Gum, carrageenan, starch, alginate, and combinations thereof. In a preferred embodiment, the non-cellulose based gelling agent is alginate or agar.

Suitably, the amorphous solid may comprise from about 0.1 wt%, 0.5 wt%, 1 wt%, 3 wt%, 5 wt%, 7 wt% or 10% to about 80 wt%, 50 wt%, 45 wt%, 40 wt%, 35 wt%, 30% or 25% by weight of aerosol former material (both on a dry basis). For example, the amorphous solid may comprise about 40-80 wt%, 40-75 wt%, 50-70 wt%, or 55-65 wt% aerosol-forming agent material. The aerosol former material may act as a plasticizer. For example, the amorphous solid may comprise 0.5 wt% to 40 wt%, 3 wt% to 35 wt%, or 10 wt% to 25 wt% aerosol former material. In some cases, the aerosol former material comprises one or more compounds selected from the group consisting of erythritol, propylene glycol, glycerin, triacetin, sorbitol, and xylitol. In some instances, the aerosol-forming agent material comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of glycerin.

In some embodiments, the aerosol-forming agent comprises one or more polyols, such as propylene glycol, triethylene glycol, 1,3-butanediol, and glycerin; esters of polyols, such as mono-, di-, or triglycerol; Acetate esters; and/or aliphatic esters of mono-, di-, or polycarboxylic acids, such as dimethyl dodecanedioate and dimethyl tetradecanedioate.

The amorphous solid may contain flavoring agents. Suitably, the amorphous solid may comprise up to about 80%, 70%, 60%, 55%, 50% or 45% by weight flavoring agent.

In some cases, the amorphous solid can comprise at least about 0.1 wt%, 1 wt%, 10 wt%, 20 wt%, 30 wt%, 35 wt%, or 40 wt% flavoring agent (all on a dry weight basis).

For example, the amorphous solid may comprise 1 wt%-80 wt%, 10 wt%-80 wt%, 20 wt%-70 wt%, 30 wt%-60 wt%, 35 wt%-55 wt%, or 30 wt%-45 wt% flavoring agent. In some instances, the flavoring agent comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of menthol.

In some cases, the amorphous solid may also contain an emulsifier, which emulsifies the molten flavor during production. For example, the amorphous solid may comprise from about 5 wt% to about 15 wt% emulsifier (calculated on a dry basis), suitably about 10 wt%. The emulsifier may include gum arabic.

In some embodiments, the amorphous solid is a hydrogel and comprises less than about 20 wt% water, calculated on a wet weight basis. In some cases, the hydrogel can comprise less than about 15%, 12%, or 10% by weight water, calculated on a wet weight basis. In some cases, the hydrogel can comprise at least about 1 wt%, 2 wt%, or at least about 5 wt% water (WWB).

In some embodiments, the amorphous solid further comprises an active material. For example, in some cases, the amorphous solid additionally comprises tobacco material and/or nicotine. In some cases, the amorphous solid can comprise from 5% to 60% by weight (on a dry weight basis) of tobacco material and/or nicotine. In some cases, the amorphous solid may comprise from about 1 wt%, 5 wt%, 10 wt%, 15 wt%, 20 wt%, or 25 wt% to about 70 wt%, 60 wt%, 50 wt%, 45 wt%, 40 wt%, 35 wt%, 30 wt% %, 20 wt%, 15 wt% or 10 wt% (based on dry weight) of active substance. In some cases, the amorphous solid may comprise from about 1 wt%, 5 wt%, 10 wt%, 15 wt%, 20 wt% or 25 wt% to about 70 wt%, 60 wt%, 50 wt%, 45 wt%, 40 wt%, 35 wt% or 30 wt% % (calculated on a dry weight basis) of tobacco material. For example, the amorphous solid may comprise 10% to 50%, 15% to 40%, or 20% to 35% tobacco material by weight. In some cases, the amorphous solid can comprise from about 1 wt%, 2 wt%, 3 wt% or 4 wt% to about 20 wt%, 18 wt%, 15 wt% or 12 wt% (calculated on a dry weight basis) nicotine. For example, the amorphous solid may comprise 1 wt% to 20 wt%, 2 wt% to 18 wt%, or 3 wt% to 12 wt% nicotine.

In some cases, the amorphous solid comprises an active substance, such as tobacco extract. In some cases, the amorphous solid may comprise 5-60 wt% (calculated on a dry weight basis) tobacco extract. In some cases, the amorphous solid may comprise from about 5 wt%, 10 wt%, 15 wt%, 20 wt% or 25 wt% to about 60 wt%, 50 wt%, 45 wt%, 40 wt%, 35 wt% or 30 wt% (calculated on a dry weight basis) of tobacco extract. For example, the amorphous solid may comprise 10 wt% to 50 wt%, 15 wt% to 40 wt%, or 20 wt% to 35 wt% tobacco extract. The tobacco extract may contain nicotine such that the amorphous solid comprises a nicotine concentration of 1 wt%, 1.5 wt%, 2 wt% or 2.5 wt% to about 6 wt%, 5 wt%, 4.5 wt% or 4 wt% (calculated on a dry weight basis) .

In some cases, the amorphous solid may be free of nicotine other than from tobacco extract.

In some embodiments, the amorphous solid does not contain tobacco material but contains nicotine. In some such cases, the amorphous solid can comprise from about 1 wt%, 2 wt%, 3 wt% or 4 wt% to about 20 wt%, 18 wt%, 15 wt% or 12 wt% (calculated on a dry weight basis) nicotine. For example, the amorphous solid may comprise 1 wt% to 20 wt%, 2 wt% to 18 wt%, or 3 wt% to 12 wt% nicotine.

In some cases, the active and/or flavoring agent may be present in a total amount of at least about 0.1 wt%, 1 wt%, 5 wt%, 10 wt%, 20 wt%, 25 wt%, or 30 wt%. In some cases, the total active and/or flavoring may be present in an amount of less than about 90%, 80%, 70%, 60%, 50%, or 40% by weight (all on a dry weight basis).

In some cases, the total content of tobacco material, nicotine, and flavoring agent can be at least about 0.1 wt%, 1 wt%, 5 wt%, 10 wt%, 20 wt%, 25 wt%, or 30 wt%. In some cases, the total active and/or flavoring may be present in an amount of less than about 90%, 80%, 70%, 60%, 50%, or 40% by weight (all on a dry weight basis).

The amorphous solid may be made of a gel, and the gel may additionally contain a solvent, which is included in an amount of 0.1 wt% to 50 wt%. However, the inventors have demonstrated that including a solvent in which the flavor is soluble reduces gel stability and the flavor crystallizes out of the gel. Thus, in some cases, the gel does not include a solvent in which the flavoring agent can dissolve.

The amorphous solid may contain fillers. In general, the amorphous solid comprises a gelling agent and filler, if present, in an amount of about 10% to 60% by weight of the amorphous solid. In examples, the amorphous solid comprises filler in an amount of 1 wt% to 15 wt%, eg, 5 wt% to 15 wt%, or 8 wt% to 12 wt% of the amorphous solid. In examples, the amorphous solid comprises filler in an amount greater than 1%, 5%, or 8% by weight of the amorphous solid. In some embodiments, the amorphous solid comprises less than 60 wt% filler, such as 1 wt%-60 wt%, or 5 wt%-50 wt%, or 5 wt%-30 wt%, or 10 wt%-20 wt% filler.

In other embodiments, the amorphous solid comprises less than 40 wt%, 20 wt%, suitably less than 10 wt%, or less than 5 wt% filler. In some cases, the amorphous solid includes less than 1 wt % filler, and in some cases, no filler.

If present, the packing may comprise one or more inorganic filler materials such as calcium carbonate, perlite, vermiculite, diatomaceous earth, silica gel, magnesium oxide, magnesium sulfate, magnesium carbonate, and suitable inorganic adsorbents such as molecular sieves . The filler may include one or more organic filler materials such as wood pulp, cellulose and cellulose derivatives. In particular instances, the amorphous solid does not contain calcium carbonate, such as chalk.

In particular embodiments comprising fillers, the fillers are fibrous. For example, the filler may be a fibrous organic filler material such as wood pulp, hemp, cellulose or cellulose derivatives. Without wishing to be bound by theory, it is believed that the inclusion of fibrous fillers in the amorphous solid can increase the tensile strength of the material.

In some embodiments, the amorphous solid does not contain tobacco fibers.

In some embodiments, the sheet-shaped amorphous solid can have a thickness of about 150 N/m to about 3000 N/m, for example, 150 N/m to 2500 N/m or 150 N/m to 2000 N/m, or 200 N/m to 1700 N/m , or 250N/m-1500N/m, or 200N/m-900N/m tensile strength. In some examples, such as where the amorphous solid does not contain fillers, the amorphous solid may have from 150 N/m to 500 N/m, or from 200 N/m to 400 N/m, or from 200 N/m to 300 N/m, Or a tensile strength of about 250N/m. Such tensile strength may be particularly useful in embodiments where the amorphous solid material is formed into thin sheets that are then chopped and incorporated into an aerosol generating article.

In some examples, such as where the amorphous solid contains fillers, the amorphous solid may have a range from 150 N/m to 3000 N/m, for example, from 500 N/m to 1200 N/m or from 600 N/m to 900 N/m, or 700 N /m-900N/m, or a tensile strength of about 800N/m or greater. In some examples, the amorphous solid can have a tensile strength greater than 500 N/m, greater than 1000 N/m, or greater than 1500 N/m. Such tensile strength may be particularly useful in embodiments wherein the amorphous solid material is included in the aerosol generating article as rolled sheet material, suitably in tube form.

In certain embodiments, the amorphous solid comprises a gelling agent comprising a cellulosic gelling agent and/or a non-cellulosic gelling agent, an active material, and an acid.

In some cases, the amorphous solid can consist essentially of, or consist of, the gelling agent, water, aerosol former material, flavoring agent, and optional active.

In some cases, the amorphous solid may consist essentially of, or consist of, the gelling agent, water, aerosol former material, flavoring agent, and optionally tobacco material and/or nicotine source.

The amorphous solid may comprise one or more active substances and/or flavoring agents, one or more aerosol former materials and optionally one or more other functional materials.

The aerosol-forming agent material may comprise one or more components capable of forming an aerosol. In some embodiments, the aerosol-forming agent material may comprise glycerin, glycerol, propylene glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, tetraethylene glycol, 1,3-butanediol, erythritol, meso Erythritol, Ethyl Vanillate, Ethyl Laurate, Diethyl Suberate, Triethyl Citrate, Triacetin, Diacetin Mixture, Benzyl Benzoate, Benzyl Phenyl Acetate, Tributyl One or more of glyceryl acetate, lauryl acetate, lauric acid, myristic acid and propylene carbonate.

The amorphous solid may contain acid. The acid can be an organic acid. In some of these embodiments, the acid can be at least one of a monoacid, a dibasic acid, and a tribasic acid. In some such embodiments, the acid can contain at least one carboxyl functional group. In some such embodiments, the acid can be at least one of an alpha-hydroxy acid, a carboxylic acid, a dicarboxylic acid, a tricarboxylic acid, and a keto acid. In some such embodiments, the acid can be an alpha-keto acid.

In some such embodiments, the acid may be succinic acid, lactic acid, benzoic acid, citric acid, tartaric acid, fumaric acid, levulinic acid, acetic acid, malic acid, formic acid, sorbic acid, benzoic acid, propionic acid, and acetone at least one of the acids.

A suitable acid is lactic acid. In other embodiments, the acid is benzoic acid. In other embodiments, the acid may be a mineral acid. In some of these embodiments, the acid can be a mineral acid. In some such embodiments, the acid can be at least one of sulfuric acid, hydrochloric acid, boric acid, and phosphoric acid. In some embodiments, the acid is levulinic acid.

In embodiments in which the amorphous solid comprises nicotine, it is particularly preferred to comprise an acid. In such embodiments, the presence of the acid may stabilize the dissolved species in the slurry from which the aerosol-generating material is formed. The presence of the acid can reduce or substantially prevent the evaporation of nicotine during drying of the slurry, thereby reducing the loss of nicotine during manufacture.

The amorphous solid may contain a colorant. Addition of colorants can alter the visual appearance of the amorphous solid. The presence of the colorant in the amorphous solid can enhance the visual appearance of the amorphous solid and aerosol generating material. By adding a colorant to the amorphous solid, the amorphous solid can be color matched to other components of the aerosol-generating material or to other components of an article comprising the amorphous solid.

Various colorants can be used depending on the desired color of the amorphous solid. The color of the amorphous solid can be, for example, white, green, red, purple, blue, brown or black. Other colors are also contemplated. Natural or synthetic colorants can be used, such as natural or synthetic dyes, food grade colorants and pharmaceutical grade colorants. In certain embodiments, the colorant is caramel, which can impart a brown appearance to the amorphous solid. In such embodiments, the color of the amorphous solid may be similar to the color of other components of the aerosol-generating material comprising the amorphous solid (eg, tobacco material). In some embodiments, a colorant is added to the amorphous solid to render it visually indistinguishable from other components of the aerosol-generating material.

The colorant can be added during the formation of the amorphous solid (e.g., when forming a slurry comprising the material from which the amorphous solid is formed), or it can be applied to the amorphous solid after it has been formed (e.g., , by spraying it on the amorphous solid).

The one or more other functional materials may include one or more of pH adjusters, colorants, preservatives, binders, fillers, stabilizers and/or antioxidants.

A consumable is an article containing or consisting of an aerosol-generating material, part or all of which is intended to be consumed by a user during use. A consumable may contain one or more other components, such as an aerosol generating material storage area, an aerosol generating material transfer assembly, an aerosol generating area, a housing, a wrapper, a nozzle, a filter, and/or an aerosol modifier. The consumable may also include an aerosol generator, such as a heater, which in use emits heat to aerosolize the aerosol-generating material. For example, the heater may comprise a combustible material, a material capable of being heated by conduction, or a susceptor.

A susceptor is a material that can be heated by penetration with a changing magnetic field, such as an alternating magnetic field. The susceptor may be an electrically conductive material such that its penetration by a changing magnetic field causes inductive heating of said heating material. The heating material may be a magnetic material such that penetration through a changing magnetic field results in hysteretic heating of said heating material. The susceptor can be either conductive or magnetic, allowing the susceptor to be heated by both heating mechanisms. The device is configured to generate a varying magnetic field, referred to herein as a magnetic field generator.

The aerosol modifier is a substance generally located downstream of the region of aerosol generation that is configured to alter the aerosol produced, for example by altering the taste, flavor, acidity or other characteristics of the aerosol. The aerosol modifier may be provided in an aerosol modifier release assembly operable to selectively release the aerosol modifier.

For example, the aerosol modifier can be an additive or a sorbent. For example, the aerosol modifier may comprise one or more of flavoring agents, coloring agents, water, and carbon sorbents. For example, the aerosol modifier can be a solid, liquid or gel. The aerosol modifier may be in powder, filamentous or granular form. The aerosol modifier may be free of filter material.

The aerosol generator is a device configured to generate an aerosol from said aerosol-generating material. In some embodiments, the aerosol generator is a heater configured to subject the aerosol-generating material to thermal energy to release one or more volatiles from the aerosol-generating material to form an aerosol. In some embodiments, the aerosol generator is configured to generate an aerosol from the aerosol-generating material without heating. For example, the aerosol generator may be configured to subject the aerosol-generating material to one or more of vibratory, pressurized, or electrostatic energy.

Articles, such as stick articles, are usually named according to the length of the product: "regular" (usually in the range of 68-75mm, for example, about 68-about 72mm), "short" or "mini" (68mm or smaller), "extra large" Size" (usually in the range of 75-91mm, for example, about 79-about 88mm), "long" or "extra large" (usually in the range of 91-105mm, for example, about 94-about 101mm) and "extra long" (Usually in the range of about 110 to about 121mm).

They are also named according to the product circumference: "regular" (about 23-25mm), "wide" (greater than 25mm), "slim" (about 22-23mm), "semi-thin" (about 19-22mm), "extra "fine" (about 16-19mm) and "fine" (less than about 16mm).

Thus, an extra large, extra fine gauge article would, for example, have a length of about 83mm and a circumference of about 17mm.

Each size can be made with nozzles of different lengths. The nozzle length is about 30-50mm. The tipping paper connects the nozzle to the aerosol generating material and typically has a greater length than the nozzle, e.g., 3-10mm longer, while the tipping paper covers the nozzle and overlaps the aerosol generating material, e.g., In the form of a stick of substrate material, the suction nozzle is attached to said stick.

The articles described herein and their aerosol generating materials and mouthpieces can be made in any of the above specifications, but are not limited thereto.

The terms "upstream" and "downstream" as used herein are relative terms defined with respect to the direction of the mainstream aerosol inhaled through the article or device in use.

The tow materials described herein can include cellulose acetate tow. The tow can also use other materials used to form fibers such as polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH), polylactic acid (PLA), polycaprolactone (PCL), poly(1,4-butylene glycol succinate) (PBS ), poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT), starch-based materials, cotton, aliphatic polyester materials, and polysaccharide polymers, or combinations thereof. The tow can be plasticized with a suitable plasticizer for the tow, such as triacetin, where the material is cellulose acetate tow, or the tow can be non-plasticized. The tow can be of any suitable specification, such as fibers having a "Y" shape or other cross-section, such as an "X", with a filament denier value of 2.5-15 denier per filament, e.g., 8.0-11.0 denier per filament, And the total denier value is 5,000-50,000, eg, 10,000-40,000.

As used herein, the term "tobacco material" refers to any material comprising tobacco or its derivatives or substitutes. The term "tobacco material" may include one or more of tobacco, tobacco derivatives, expanded tobacco, reconstituted tobacco, or tobacco substitutes. The tobacco material may include one or more of ground tobacco, tobacco fiber, cut tobacco, extruded tobacco, tobacco stems, tobacco flakes, reconstituted tobacco, and/or tobacco extract.

In the tobacco material described herein, the tobacco material may comprise a filler component. The filler component is typically a non-tobacco component, ie a component that does not include ingredients derived from tobacco. The filler component may be non-tobacco fibers such as wood fibers or pulp or wheat fibers. The filler component may also be an inorganic material such as chalk, perlite, vermiculite, diatomaceous earth, silica gel, magnesium oxide, magnesium sulfate, magnesium carbonate. The filler component may also be a non-tobacco cast material or a non-tobacco extruded material. The filler component may be present in an amount of 0-20 wt% of the tobacco material, or in an amount of 1 wt%-10 wt% of the weight of the overall composition, such as the aerosol-generating material described herein. In some embodiments, filler components are absent.

In the tobacco materials described herein, the tobacco material comprises an aerosol former material.

In some embodiments, the aerosol former material of the tobacco material may be glycerin, propylene glycol, or a mixture of glycerin and propylene glycol. Glycerin may be present in an amount of 10% to 20% by weight of the tobacco material, for example, 13% to 16% by weight of the composition, i.e. the total aerosol generating material described herein, or about 14% by weight of the composition or 15 wt%. Propylene glycol, if present, may be present in an amount of 0.1% to 0.3% by weight of the composition.

The aerosol-forming agent material may be included in any component of the tobacco material, eg, any tobacco component, and/or, if present, in the filler component. Alternatively or additionally, the aerosol former material may be added to the tobacco material alone. In either case, the total amount of aerosol-forming agent material in the tobacco material can be as defined herein.

The tobacco material may comprise from 10 wt% to 90 wt% tobacco leaves, eg tobacco leaves. The aerosol former material may be provided in the tobacco material in addition to any aerosol former material provided by the amorphous solid material. For example, the aerosol former materials described herein can be provided in the tobacco material in an amount of 2% to 20% by weight of the tobacco material, eg, from about 5% to about 15% by weight. Where tobacco leaves are used, the aerosol-forming agent can comprise up to about 10% by weight of said leaf tobacco. In order to achieve a total content of aerosol-forming agent material of 10% to 20% by weight of the tobacco material, it is advantageous, it has been found that this can be added in a higher weight percentage to another component of the tobacco material, such as heavy in structural tobacco material. In some examples, the tobacco material consists essentially of leaf tobacco, eg, leaf tobacco.

The tobacco materials described herein contain nicotine. The nicotine content is from 0.5% to 1.75% by weight of the tobacco material, and may, for example, be from 0.8% to 1.5% by weight of the tobacco material. Additionally or alternatively, the tobacco material comprises 10wt% - 90wt% tobacco leaf having a nicotine content greater than 1.5wt% of said tobacco leaf. It has been found that, advantageously, the use of tobacco leaves with a nicotine content higher than 1.5% in combination with a lower nicotine base material such as paper reconstituted tobacco provides tobacco with suitable nicotine levels but better organoleptic properties than paper reconstituted tobacco alone Material. Tobacco leaves, eg rag tobacco, can eg have a nicotine content of 1.5 wt% - 5 wt% of the tobacco leaves.

The tobacco materials described herein can comprise an aerosol modifier, such as any of the flavoring agents described herein. In one embodiment, the tobacco material comprises menthol, forming a mentholized article. The tobacco material can comprise 3-20 mg menthol, preferably 5-18 mg and more preferably 8-16 mg menthol. In this example, the tobacco material contained 16 mg of menthol. The tobacco material can comprise 2wt% - 8wt% menthol, preferably 3wt% - 7wt% menthol, more preferably 4wt% - 5.5wt% menthol. In one embodiment, the tobacco material comprises 4.7 wt% menthol. Such high levels of menthol loading can be achieved using high percentages of reconstituted tobacco material, eg, greater than 50 wt% tobacco material. Alternatively or in addition, the use ^of high-volume aerosol-generating materials, such as tobacco materials, can, for example ^, increase the achievable Menthol loading levels.

In the compositions or aerosol generating materials described herein, where an amount is given in wt%, for the avoidance of doubt, this refers to dry weight, unless specifically stated to the contrary. Accordingly, any water that may be present in the tobacco material, or any component thereof, is completely disregarded for purposes of determining wt%. The moisture content of the tobacco materials described herein can vary and can, for example, range from 5 wt% to 15 wt%. The moisture content of the tobacco materials described herein can vary depending, for example, on the temperature, pressure and humidity conditions under which the composition is maintained. Water content can be determined by Karl-Fisher analysis, as known to those skilled in the art. On the other hand, for the avoidance of doubt, even when the aerosol former material is a component in the liquid phase, such as glycerin or propylene glycol, any component other than water is included in the weight of the tobacco material. However, when the aerosol-forming agent material is provided in the tobacco component of the tobacco material or in the filler component (if present) of the tobacco material, then instead of or in addition to being added separately to the tobacco material, the aerosol-forming agent material Not included in the weight of the tobacco component or filler component, but included in the weight of "aerosol-forming agent material" as defined herein in wt%. All other ingredients present in the tobacco component are included in the weight of the tobacco component, even of non-tobacco origin (eg, non-tobacco fibers in the case of paper reconstituted tobacco).

In one embodiment, the tobacco material comprises a tobacco component as defined herein and an aerosol former material as defined herein. In one embodiment, the tobacco material consists essentially of a tobacco component as defined herein and an aerosol former material as defined herein. In one embodiment, the tobacco material consists of a tobacco component as defined herein and an aerosol former material as defined herein.

Paper reconstituted tobacco may be present in the tobacco component of the tobacco materials described herein in an amount ranging from 10% to 100% by weight of the tobacco component. In embodiments, the paper reconstituted tobacco is present in an amount of 10 wt% to 80 wt%, or 20 wt% to 70 wt% of said tobacco component. In a further embodiment, the tobacco component consists essentially of, or consists of, paper reconstituted tobacco. In a preferred embodiment, leaf tobacco or leaf tobacco is present in the tobacco component of the tobacco material in an amount of at least 10% by weight of said tobacco component. For example, leaf tobacco can be present in an amount of at least 10% by weight of the tobacco component while the remainder of the tobacco component comprises paper reconstituted tobacco, bandcast reconstituted tobacco, or bandcast reconstituted tobacco with another A combination of forms of tobacco such as tobacco particles. Suitably leaf tobacco can be present in an amount of up to 40% or 60% by weight of the tobacco material, with the remainder of the tobacco component comprising paper reconstituted tobacco, tape cast reconstituted tobacco or tape cast reconstituted tobacco with another form combination of tobacco such as tobacco particles.

Paper reconstituted tobacco means a tobacco material formed by a process in which tobacco material is extracted with a solvent to provide an extract of solubles and a residue comprising fibrous material, which is subsequently deposited by depositing the extract on the fibrous material and the extract (usually after concentration, and optionally after further processing) is recombined with fibrous material from the residue (usually after refining of the fibrous material, with an optional addition of a portion of non-tobacco fibers). The process of recombination is similar to that of paper making.

The paper reconstituted tobacco can be any type of paper reconstituted tobacco known in the art. In a specific embodiment, the paper reconstituted tobacco is made from raw material comprising one or more of tobacco rods, tobacco stems, and whole tobacco leaves. In a further embodiment, the paper reconstituted tobacco is made from a raw material consisting of tobacco rods and/or whole tobacco leaves and stems. However, in other embodiments waste, fines and winnowing can alternatively or additionally be used in the feedstock.

Paper reconstituted tobacco for use in the tobacco materials described herein can be prepared by methods known to those skilled in the art for making paper reconstituted tobacco.

In the figures described herein, the same reference numerals (reference numerals, reference numerals) are used to illustrate equivalent features, articles or components.

Figure 1 is a side sectional view of an article 1 for use in an aerosol delivery system.

The article 1 comprises a mouthpiece 2 and a cylindrical rod 3 of aerosol generating material connected to the mouthpiece 2 . In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the aerosol generating material comprises a blend of at least two different components. In some embodiments, the aerosol-generating material comprises strands and/or strands of tobacco material and strands of amorphous solid material, wherein the strands and/or strands of tobacco material and strands of amorphous solid material each have at least About 5mm in length. In some embodiments, the material properties and/or dimensions of at least two components may otherwise be suitably selected to ensure that relatively uniform mixing of the components is possible and to reduce the contribution of the components to the production of the aerosol generating material. Separation or un-mixing during or after the stick.

Although described above in the form of a stick, the aerosol-generating material can be provided in an article of manufacture in other forms, for example, a plunger, a pouch or a pack of material. The article can include consumables for an aerosol delivery or delivery system, such as the non-flammable aerosol delivery or delivery system described herein.

In this embodiment, the first component is tobacco material and the second component is amorphous solid material.

In some embodiments, the tobacco material comprises paper reconstituted tobacco material. The tobacco material can alternatively or additionally comprise any of the forms described herein. Preferably the tobacco material comprises 10% to 90% by weight tobacco leaf, wherein the aerosol former material is provided in an amount up to about 10% by weight of said tobacco leaf. Such aerosol formers can be provided in addition to the aerosol formers provided in the amorphous solid material. For example, 3wt%-8wt% or 4wt%-7wt% or 5wt%-7wt% of the tobacco material aerosol former can be used. The remainder of the tobacco material can comprise paper reconstituted tobacco. In other embodiments, the tobacco material comprises up to 100% tobacco leaf, eg, up to 100% tobacco lamina, which can be in the form of shredded tobacco. It may be advantageous to adjust the aerosol former and/or water content of the tobacco lamina material to avoid the material being too dry and possibly becoming too brittle. For example, tobacco thin leaf can comprise 5%-8% aerosol forming agent such as glycerin and/or 9%-12% water.

In this embodiment, the amorphous solid material may be a xerogel containing menthol. In alternative embodiments, the amorphous solid can have any composition described herein.

The present inventors have advantageously discovered that improved articles can be produced comprising an aerosol-generating material comprising a first component comprising a tobacco material and a second component comprising an amorphous solid, wherein the material properties (e.g., density) and specifications (eg, thickness, length, and cut width) are within the ranges specified herein.

In some cases, the amorphous solid can have a thickness of about 0.015 to about 1.5 mm. Suitably, the thickness may be in the range of about 0.05 mm, 0.1 mm or 0.15 to about 0.5 mm, 0.3 mm or 1 mm. The inventors have found that it is possible to use a material having a thickness of about 0.2 mm. The amorphous solid may comprise more than one layer, and the thicknesses described herein refer to the aggregate thickness of those layers.

The thickness of the amorphous solid material may be measured using calipers known to those skilled in the art or a microscope such as a scanning electron microscope (SEM), or any other suitable technique known to those skilled in the art.

The inventors have demonstrated that if the amorphous solid is too thick, heating efficiency may suffer. This can adversely affect the power consumption in use, for example, of releasing a flavor from an amorphous solid. Conversely, if an aerosol-forming amorphous solid is too thin, it can be difficult to fabricate and handle; very thin materials can be more difficult to cast and can be brittle, making it unfavorable for aerosol formation when used. In view of these competing considerations, the inventors have demonstrated that the thickness of the amorphous solid specified herein optimizes material properties.

In some cases, each strip or sheet of amorphous solid has a minimum thickness in its region of about 0.015 mm. In some cases, each strip or sheet of the amorphous solid has a minimum thickness in its region of about 0.05 mm or about 0.1 mm. In some cases, each strip or sheet of amorphous solid has a maximum thickness within its region of about 1.0 mm. In some cases, each strip or sheet of amorphous solid has a maximum thickness in its region of about 0.5 mm or about 0.3 mm.

The present inventors have found that providing amorphous solid material and tobacco material having areal density values that differ from each other by less than a given percentage results in less segregation in mixtures of these materials. In some embodiments, the areal density of the amorphous solid material may be 50%-150% of the areal density of the tobacco material. For example, the areal density of the amorphous solid material may be 60%-140% of the areal density of the tobacco material, or 70%-110% of the areal density of the tobacco material, or 80%-120% of the areal density of the tobacco material .

For the avoidance of doubt, when referring to area density herein, this means the average area density calculated for a given strip, sheet, or sheet of amorphous solid material by measuring the surface area of a given strip, sheet, or sheet of amorphous solid material and the area density calculated by weight.

In some cases, the thickness of the amorphous solid does not vary by more than 25%, 20%, 15%, 10%, 5%, or 1% across its area.

In embodiments described herein, the amorphous solid material may be incorporated into the article in the form of a thin sheet. The amorphous solid material in sheet form may be shred and then incorporated into the article, suitably mixed with an aerosolizable material such as tobacco material (as further described below).

In further embodiments, the amorphous solid sheet may additionally be introduced as a flat sheet, as a gathered or bundled sheet, as a coiled sheet, or as a rolled sheet (ie, in the form of a tube). In some such cases, the amorphous solid of these embodiments can be included in an aerosol-generating article as a sheet, such as a sheet that coats a rod of aerosolizable material (eg, tobacco). For example, the amorphous solid sheet may be formed on a wrapper that encloses an aerosolizable material such as tobacco.

The amorphous solid in sheet form may have any suitable areal density, such as from about 30 g/m ² to about 150 g/m ² . In some cases, the sheet material may have from about 55 to about 135 g/m ² , or from about 80 to about 120 g/m ² , or from about 70 to about 110 g/m ² , or from about 100 to about 125 g/m ² , or Specifically about 90 to about 110 g/m ² , or suitably about 100 g/m ² , 120 g/m ² or 110 g/m 2 or 110 g/m ² of mass per unit area. These ranges can provide densities similar to those of shredded tobacco, and thus can provide a mixture of these materials that does not readily separate. Such areal densities may be particularly suitable when the amorphous solid material is contained as fragments in an aerosol generating article (further described below). In some cases, the sheet material can have a mass per unit area of about 30-70 g/m ² , 40-60 g/m ² , or 25-60 g/m ² , and can be used to wrap aerosolizable materials such as tobacco .

The density of the tobacco material has an effect on the rate of heat transfer through the material, with lower densities, eg, those below 700 mg/cc, conducting heat more slowly through the material and thus enabling a more sustained release of the aerosol.

The tobacco material can comprise reconstituted tobacco material having a density of less than about 700 mg/cc, eg, paper reconstituted tobacco material. For example, the aerosol-generating material 3 comprises reconstituted tobacco material having a density of less than about 600 mg/cc. Alternatively or additionally, the aerosol generating material 3 can comprise reconstituted tobacco material having a density of at least 350 mg/cc.

The tobacco material may be provided in the form of shredded tobacco. The shredded tobacco can have a cut width of at least 15 cuts/inch (about 5.9 cuts/cm, corresponding to a cut width of about 1.7 mm). Preferably the shredded tobacco has at least 18 cuts/inch (about 7.1 cuts/cm, corresponding to a cutting width of about 1.4 mm), more preferably at least 20 cuts/inch (about 7.9 cuts/cm, corresponding to a cutting width of about 1.27 mm) ) cutting width. In one embodiment, the shredded tobacco has a cut width of 22 cuts/inch (about 8.7 cuts per centimeter, corresponding to a cut width of about 1.15 mm). Preferably, the shredded tobacco has a cut width equal to or less than 40 cuts/inch (about 15.7 cuts/cm, corresponding to a cut width of about 0.64 mm). It has been found that a cut width of 0.5-2.0 mm, e.g. 0.6-1.7 mm or 0.6-1.5 mm, results in an increase in surface area to volume ratio and overall density and pressure drop of the rod of aerosol generating material 3, especially when heated. Preferred tobacco materials. Cut tobacco can be formed from a blend of tobacco materials in the form of, for example, a blend of one or more of paper reconstituted tobacco, leaf tobacco, extruded tobacco, and tape cast tobacco. Preferably the tobacco material comprises paper reconstituted tobacco or a blend of paper reconstituted tobacco and tobacco leaves.

The tobacco material may be of any suitable thickness. The tobacco material can have a thickness of at least about 0.145 mm, eg, at least about 0.15 mm, or at least about 0.16 mm. The tobacco material can have a maximum thickness of about 0.25 mm, for example, the thickness of the tobacco material can be less than about 0.22 mm, or less than about 0.2 mm. In some embodiments, the tobacco material may have an average thickness in the range of 0.175-0.195 mm. Such a thickness may be particularly suitable where the tobacco material is a reconstituted tobacco material.

It may be desirable to provide an aerosol-generating material comprising a blend of at least two components, such as a first component comprising tobacco material and a second component comprising an amorphous solid material as described herein. Such an aerosol-generating material can provide an aerosol with a desired flavor profile when in use, since additional flavors can be introduced into the aerosol-generating material by inclusion in the amorphous solid material component. Flavoring agents provided in the amorphous solid material may be more stably retained in the amorphous solid material than flavoring agents added directly to the tobacco material, resulting in a more consistent flavor profile between articles produced in accordance with the present invention curve.

As noted above, it has been advantageously found that tobacco materials having a density of at least 350 mg/cc and less than about 700 mg/cc result in more sustained aerosol release. In order to provide an aerosol with a consistent flavor profile, the amorphous solid material component of the aerosol generating material should be evenly distributed throughout the stick. The present inventors have advantageously found that this enables the provision of an amorphous solid material having an areal density similar to that of tobacco material by casting the amorphous solid material to a thickness as described herein, and processing as hereinafter The amorphous solid material described above is achieved to ensure uniform distribution of the entire aerosol-generating material.

The present inventors have advantageously found that when the amorphous solid material in sheet form is chopped, a substantially uniform mixing of the tobacco material component and the amorphous solid material component can be achieved. Preferably, the cut width of the chopped amorphous solid material is 0.75-2 mm, eg 1-1.5 mm. Strands of amorphous solid material formed by chopping may, for example, be cut in the width direction during a cross-cut type chopping process to define the chopped amorphous solid in addition to the cut width The cut length of the material. The cut length of the chopped amorphous solid material is preferably at least 5mm, eg at least 10mm, or at least 20mm. The cut length of the chopped amorphous solid material can be less than 60mm, less than 50mm or less than 40mm. The present inventors have advantageously found that in order to achieve uniform mixing of the chopped amorphous solid material with the cut tobacco, the cut length of the chopped amorphous solid material is preferably non-uniform. For example, the distribution of cut lengths may be a multimodal distribution, such as a bimodal distribution. In some embodiments, a first portion of amorphous solid material can be cut to a first length, and a second portion of amorphous solid material can be cut to a second length, and the cut materials are mixed together to form strands or Strips of amorphous solid material with bimodal length distribution. In some embodiments, the first cut length may be 30-50 mm, or 35-45 mm, or about 40 mm, and the second cut length may be 10-30 mm, or 15-25 mm, or about 20 mm. The number of cut lengths may be selected to match the number of modes of the length distribution of the chopped tobacco material. Strands of amorphous material having different cut lengths may be mixed together in ratios selected to match the length distribution of the chopped tobacco material. The present inventors have found that matching the length distribution of individual strands and/or rods of amorphous solid material to the length distribution of individual strands of tobacco material results in a more uniform mixing of the amorphous solid and tobacco material.

Although referred to as a cut length, the length of each strand and/or each strip of amorphous solid material can alternatively or additionally be determined by dimensions of the material determined during its manufacture, eg, the width of the sheet of material at the time of manufacture.

In some embodiments, a plurality of strips of amorphous solid material is provided and at least one of the strips of amorphous solid material has a length greater than about 10 mm. At least one of said plurality of strips of amorphous solid material may alternatively or additionally have a length of about 10 to about 60 mm, or about 20 to about 50 mm. Each of the plurality of strips of amorphous solid material can have a length of about 10 to about 60 mm, or about 20 to about 50 mm.

Preferably the rod of aerosol-generating material comprises a first component comprising tobacco material in an amount of 50%-98%, such as 80%-95%, wherein said tobacco material is provided, for example, as shredded tobacco, and comprises an amount of 2% -50%, eg, 5%-20%, of the second component of chopped amorphous solid material.

The present inventors have found that it is possible to form rods of aerosol-generating material produced from relatively low amounts of chopped amorphous solid material within the ranges described herein comprising relatively high levels of aerosol-forming agent within the ranges described herein. Advantageously, such that for a given content of aerosol-forming agent in the aerosol-generating material, a smaller number of said plurality of strips of amorphous solid material is required. This may be beneficial for manufacturing because relatively more tobacco material comes into contact with parts of manufacturing machinery compared to amorphous solid material, which may reduce the likelihood of the material mechanically agglomerating and/or forming plugs during manufacturing . For example, the amount of aerosol-forming agent such as glycerol in the amorphous solid material can be 20 wt %-70 wt %, for example, 25 wt %-55 wt %, 30 wt %-40 wt % or 45 wt %-55 wt % .

The present inventors have advantageously discovered that aerosol-generating materials according to the present disclosure are capable of having a more uniform distribution of chopped amorphous solid material throughout the aerosol-generating material. For example, based on measurements of 10 consumables each containing about 650 mg of aerosol-generating material in the present case, each of the aerosol-generating materials between consumables made using an aerosol-generating material as described herein The standard deviation of the percent weight inclusion levels of the bar of amorphous solid material (expressed as a percentage of the mean) can be less than 35 wt%, or less than 30 wt% of the aerosol-generating material. Table 1a shows the achieved inclusion percentages for the three aerosol-generating materials, namely material A with an average amorphous solids content of 4.6307%, material B with an average amorphous solids content of 10.625%, and material C with an average amorphous solids content of 19.722%. For example, it has been found that for an average amorphous solid inclusion of greater than 10%, a standard deviation of less than 30% as a percentage of the mean can be achieved. The measurement is performed by carefully opening the stick of aerosol-generating material of the consumable and manually separating the amorphous solid material from the tobacco material.

Table 1a: Total amorphous solids content by weight percent in aerosol-generating materials according to the present disclosure.

Exemplary aerosol-generating materials were prepared according to the present disclosure, and samples of each exemplary aerosol-generating material were chemically analyzed to determine the material's total nicotine, glycerin, and water content, as known to those skilled in the art. Ten samples of 10 g were taken from a batch of aerosol-generating material for chemical analysis, and the process was repeated 10 times to obtain the average nicotine, glycerin and water contents and their standard deviation.

Exemplary aerosol-generating materials 1-3 each comprise 100% tobacco leaf as the tobacco material component, and each is produced to a different specification with respect to the level of inclusion of the amorphous solid material component and the composition of the amorphous solid material . The tobacco material included 4.5% glycerin by weight of the tobacco material. Table Ib shows that, in aerosol generating materials produced according to the present disclosure, the standard deviation for the total glycerol content in a given batch of material was in all cases less than 35% of the mean, or less than 30% or less than 25%.

Table 1b: Total nicotine, glycerin and water content by weight percent in aerosol generating materials according to the present disclosure.

Where the amorphous solid material contains flavorants, the total flavorant in the article may be comprised of flavorants provided in the amorphous solid material, and optionally applied to the tobacco material or present in the aerosol-generating material 3 A further flavoring agent in an external product component. The total flavor content of a preparation can be determined by breaking down the preparation into its component parts and performing chemical analysis known to those skilled in the art to determine the flavor content of each component, thereby determining the total flavor content. In embodiments where the amorphous solid comprises a flavoring agent, the preparation may have a total flavoring content of 5-30 mg/preparation, for example, 16-22 mg/preparation, or 5-10 mg/preparation, or 17-30 mg/preparation products. The amorphous solid may comprise at least 20% of the total flavor content.

Articles were produced comprising an aerosol-generating material according to the present disclosure, wherein the aerosol-generating material comprised 5%, 12%, or 20% by weight of an amorphous solid containing 35% by weight of menthol as a flavoring agent. Table 2 shows the menthol content in mg/article per article comprising aerosol generating material. The standard deviation of menthol content was determined by analyzing ten articles produced from each batch of aerosol generating material. As shown, the total menthol inclusion in each article varied from article to article with a standard deviation of less than 20% of the mean menthol inclusion in milligrams.

Table 2: Total menthol content/article, in different weight percents of aerosol-generating material, for articles comprising an aerosol-generating material comprising an amorphous solid material comprising 35 wt% menthol based on amorphous solids.

The aerosol generating material can be provided in the form of a rod having a first end and a second end. The portion of the rod between the first end of the rod and half way of the longitudinal position between the first and second ends can be 20%-80% amorphous solid material in the rod.

In this embodiment, the mouthpiece 2 comprises a body 6 of material upstream of the hollow tubular element 4, in this embodiment adjacent to the hollow tubular element 4 and in abutting relationship. The body of material 6 and the hollow tubular element 4 each define a generally cylindrical overall shape and share a common longitudinal axis. The body of material 6 is wrapped in a first plug wrap 7 . Preferably the first build paper 7 has a basis weight of less than 50 gsm, more preferably about 20-40 gsm. Preferably, the thickness of the first molding paper 7 is 30-60 μm, more preferably 35-45 μm. Preferably the first plug paper 7 is a non-porous plug paper, eg having a permeability of less than 100 Coresta units, eg less than 50 Coresta units. However, in other embodiments, the first plug paper 7 can be a porous plug paper, for example, having a permeability greater than 200 Coresta units.

Preferably the body of material 6 has a length of less than about 15 mm. More preferably the body of material 6 has a length of less than about 10 mm. Additionally, or alternatively, the body of material 6 has a length of at least about 5 mm. Preferably the body of material 6 has a length of at least about 6 mm. In some preferred embodiments, the length of the material body 6 is about 5 to about 15 mm, more preferably about 6 to about 12 mm, even more preferably about 6 to about 12 mm, most preferably about 6 mm, 7 mm, 8 mm, 9 mm or 10 mm. In this embodiment, the length of the material body 6 is 10 mm.

In this embodiment, the body of material 6 is formed from a filamentary tow. In this example, the tow used in the body of material 6 has a denier per filament (d.p.f.) of 8.4 and a total denier of 21,000. Or, for example, the tow can have a denier per filament (d.p.f.) of 9.5 and a total denier of 12,000. In this embodiment, the tow comprises plasticized cellulose acetate tow. The plasticizer used in the tow constituted about 7% by weight of the tow. In this example, the plasticizer is triacetin. In other embodiments, different materials may be used to form the body of material 6 . For example, the body 6 could, for example, be formed from paper instead of tow, in a manner similar to the paper filters known for use in cigarettes. Alternatively, body 6 can be formed from a tow other than cellulose acetate, for example, polylactic acid (PLA), other materials described herein for tow, or similar materials. The tow is preferably formed from cellulose acetate. The tow, whether made of cellulose acetate or other material, preferably has a d.p.f. of at least 5, more preferably at least 6, more preferably at least 7. These denier per filament values provide tows, with relatively thick fibers, having a lower surface area, which results in a lower pressure drop across the nozzle 2 than tows with low d.p.f values. Preferably, in order to obtain a sufficiently homogeneous body of material 6, the tow has a denier per filament of not more than 12 d.p.f., preferably not more than 11 d.p.f., and more preferably not more than 10 d.p.f.

The overall denier of the tows forming the body of material 6 is preferably at most 30,000, more preferably at most 28,000, and still more preferably at most 25,000. These overall denier values provide the tow with a reduced proportion of the cross-sectional area of the nozzle 2, which results in a lower pressure drop across the nozzle 2 than a tow with a higher overall denier value. For a suitable firmness of the body of material 6, the tow preferably has an overall denier of at least 8,000 and more preferably at least 10,000. Preferably, the denier per filament is 5-12 and the overall denier is 10,000-25,000. More preferably, the denier per filament is 6-10 and the overall denier is 11,000-22,000. Preferably, the filament cross-sectional shape of the tow is "Y", although in other embodiments other shapes having the same d.p.f and overall denier values as provided herein may be used, such as "X" shaped filaments.

As shown in FIG. 1 , the mouthpiece 2 of the article 1 comprises an upstream end 2a adjacent to the rod 3 of aerosol generating material and a downstream end 2b remote from the rod 3 of aerosol generating material. At the downstream end 2b, the suction nozzle 2 has a hollow tubular element 4 formed from a tow. It has been advantageously found that this significantly reduces the temperature of the outer surface of the nozzle 2 at the downstream end 2b of the nozzle which is in contact with the consumer's mouth when the article 1 is in use. Furthermore, it has also been found that the use of the tubular element 4 significantly reduces the temperature of the outer surface of the suction nozzle 2 even upstream of the tubular element 4 . Without wishing to be bound by theory, it is hypothesized that this is due to the tubular element 4 directing the aerosol forming channel closer to the center of the nozzle 2 and thus reducing heat transfer from the aerosol to the outer surface of the nozzle 2 .

In this example, the article 1 has an outer circumference of about 21 mm (ie the article is in demi-slim format). In other embodiments, the article may be provided in any of the forms described herein, eg, having a circumference of 15-25 mm. Improved heating efficiency can be achieved using an article having a lower outer perimeter in this range, for example a perimeter of less than 23mm, as the article will be heated to release aerosols. In order to achieve aerosol improvement by heating while maintaining a suitable product length, it has also been found that articles with a circumference greater than 19mm are particularly effective. It has been found that an article having a circumference of 19-23mm, more preferably 20-22mm, provides a good balance between providing efficient aerosol delivery and allowing efficient heating.

The periphery of the nozzle 2 is substantially the same as the periphery of the stick of aerosol generating material 3 so that there is a smooth transition between these parts. In this embodiment, the outer circumference of the suction nozzle 2 is about 20.8 mm. The tipping paper 5 is wrapped around the entire length of the nozzle 2 and covers a part of the stick 3 of aerosol generating material, and has an adhesive on its inner surface to connect the nozzle 2 and the stick 3 . In this example the tipping paper 5 extends 5 mm over the stick 3 of aerosol generating material, but it could alternatively extend 3-10 mm, or more preferably 4-6 mm, over the stick 3 to provide the mouthpiece 2 and stick 3 strong attachment between. The basis weight of the tipping paper 5 can be higher than the basis weight of the plug paper used in the product 1, for example a basis weight of 40-80 gsm, more preferably a basis weight of 50-70 gsm, and in this example 58 gsm. It has been found that these ranges of basis weights result in a tipping paper having acceptable tensile strength while being sufficiently flexible to wrap around the article 1 and achieve self-adherence along the longitudinal lap seam on the paper Knot. The outer circumference of the tipping paper 5, once wrapped around the suction nozzle 2, is about 21 mm.

The "wall thickness" of the hollow tubular element 4 corresponds to the wall thickness of the tube 4 in the radial direction. This can be measured, for example, using calipers. The wall thickness is advantageously greater than 0.9 mm, more preferably 1.0 mm or greater. The wall thickness is preferably substantially constant around the entire wall of the hollow tubular element 4 . However, where the wall thickness is not substantially constant, at any point around the hollow tubular element 4, the wall thickness is preferably greater than 0.9 mm, more preferably 1.0 mm or greater.

Preferably the length of the hollow tubular element 4 is less than about 20 mm. More preferably the hollow tubular element 4 has a length of less than about 15 mm. More preferably the hollow tubular element 4 has a length of less than about 10 mm. Additionally, or alternatively, the hollow tubular element 4 has a length of at least about 5 mm. Preferably the hollow tubular element 4 has a length of at least about 6 mm. In some preferred embodiments, the hollow tubular element 4 has a length of about 5 to about 20 mm, more preferably about 6 to about 10 mm, still more preferably about 6 to about 8 mm, most preferably about 6 mm, 7 mm or about 8 mm. In this embodiment, the length of the hollow tubular element 4 is 6 mm.

Preferably, the hollow tubular member 4 has a density of at least about 0.25 grams per cubic centimeter (g/cc), more preferably at least about 0.3 g/cc. Preferably, the hollow tubular member 4 has a density of less than about 0.75 grams per cubic centimeter (g/cc), more preferably less than 0.6 g/cc. In some embodiments, the hollow tubular element 4 has a density of 0.25-0.75 g/cc, more preferably 0.3-0.6 g/cc, and more preferably 0.4-0.6 g/cc or about 0.5 g/cc. These densities have been found to provide a good balance between the improved robustness provided by denser materials and the lower heat transfer properties of lower density materials. For the purposes of the present invention, "density" of the hollow tubular element 4 means the density of the strands forming the element containing any plasticizer. This density can be determined by dividing the total weight of the hollow tubular element 4 by the total volume of the hollow tubular element 4, wherein using an appropriate measurement of the hollow tubular element 4, for example, using a caliper, the total volume can be calculated . Appropriate dimensions can be measured using a microscope if necessary.

The tows forming the hollow tubular element 4 preferably have an overall denier of less than 45,000, more preferably less than 42,000. It has been found that this overall denier allows the formation of a less dense tubular element 4 . Preferably the total denier is at least 20,000, more preferably at least 25,000. In a preferred embodiment, the overall denier of the tow forming the hollow tubular element 4 is 25,000-45,000, more preferably 35,000-45,000. The cross-sectional shape of the filaments of the tow is preferably "Y" shaped, although in other embodiments other shapes may be used, such as "X" shaped filaments.

The tow forming the hollow tubular element 4 preferably has a denier per filament greater than 3. It has been found that this monofilament denier allows the formation of a less dense tubular element 4 . Preferably the denier per filament is at least 4, more preferably at least 5. In a preferred embodiment, the tow forming the hollow tubular element 4 has a denier per filament of 4-10, more preferably 4-9. In one embodiment, the tow forming the hollow tubular element 4 has 8Y40,000 tow formed from cellulose acetate and comprising 18% of a plasticizer, eg, triacetin.

The hollow tubular element 4 preferably has an inner diameter greater than 3.0 mm. A diameter smaller than this can cause the velocity of the aerosol to reach the mouth of the consumer through the mouthpiece 2 to increase more than necessary, causing the aerosol to become too hot, e.g., to temperatures greater than 40°C or greater than 45°C. temperature. More preferably the inner diameter of the hollow tubular element 4 is greater than 3.1 mm, more preferably greater than 3.5 mm or 3.6 mm. In one embodiment, the inner diameter of the hollow tubular element 4 is about 3.9 mm.

The hollow tubular element 4 preferably contains 15% to 22% by weight of plasticizer. For cellulose acetate tow, the plasticizer is preferably triacetin (triacetin), but other plasticizers such as polyethylene glycol (PEG) can also be used. More preferably the tubular element 4 comprises 16 wt% to 20 wt% plasticizer, eg about 17 wt%, about 18 wt% or about 19 wt% plasticizer.

In the present example, the hollow tubular element 4 is a first hollow tubular element 4 and the suction nozzle comprises a second hollow tubular element 8 upstream of the first hollow tubular element 4 , also called cooling element. In this embodiment, the second hollow tubular element 8 is upstream of, adjacent to and in abutting relationship with the body of material 6 . The body of material 6 and the second hollow tubular element 8 each define a generally cylindrical overall shape and share a common longitudinal axis. The second hollow tubular element 8 is formed from a plurality of parallel wound paper layers with butt seams forming the tubular element 8 . In this embodiment, the first and second paper layers are provided in a double layer tube, although in other embodiments 3, 4 or more paper layers may be used to form a 3, 4 or more layer tube. Other constructions, such as helically wound paper layers, cardboard tubes, tubes formed using a papier-mache type process, molded or extruded plastic tubes, or the like, can be used. The second hollow tubular element 8 can also be formed using a hard formed paper and/or tipping paper as the second formed paper 9 and/or tipping paper 5 described herein, which means that no separate tubular element is required. The hard formed paper and/or tipping paper is manufactured with sufficient stiffness to withstand the axial stresses and bending moments that may occur during manufacture and while the article 1 is in use. For example, the rigid formed and/or tipping paper may have a basis weight of 70 gsm to 120 gsm, more preferably 80 gsm to 110 gsm. Additionally or alternatively, the rigid formed paper and/or tipping paper may have a thickness of 80-200 μm, more preferably 100-160 μm, or 120-150 μm. It may be desirable that both the second build paper 9 and the tipping paper 5 have values within these ranges to achieve an acceptable level of overall stiffness for the second hollow tubular member 8 .

The second hollow tubular element 8 preferably has a wall thickness of at least about 100 μm to about 1.5 mm, preferably 100 μm to 1 mm, more preferably 150 μm to 500 μm, or about 300 μm, which can be used in the same manner as the first hollow tubular element 4 Measured the same way. In this embodiment, the second hollow tubular element 8 has a wall thickness of about 290 μm.

Preferably the length of the second hollow tubular element 8 is less than about 50 mm. More preferably the length of the second hollow tubular element 8 is less than about 40 mm. More preferably the length of the second hollow tubular element 8 is less than about 30 mm. Additionally, or alternatively, the second hollow tubular element 8 preferably has a length of at least about 10 mm. Preferably the second hollow tubular element 8 has a length of at least about 15 mm. In some preferred embodiments, the second hollow tubular element 8 has a length of about 20 to about 30 mm, more preferably about 22 mm to about 28 mm, still more preferably about 24 to about 26 mm, most preferably about 25 mm. In this embodiment, the second hollow tubular element 8 has a length of 25 mm.

The second hollow tubular element 8 is located around the air gap in the suction nozzle 2 and defines an air gap in the suction nozzle 2 which serves as a cooling section. The air gap provides a chamber through which the heated volatile components generated by the aerosol generating material 3 flow. The second hollow tubular element 8 is hollow, providing a chamber for aerosol accumulation, but rigid enough to withstand axial compressive forces and bending moments that may arise during manufacture and while the article 1 is in use. The second hollow tubular element 8 provides a physical displacement between the aerosol generating material 3 and the body 6 of material. The physical displacement provided by the second hollow tubular element 8 will provide a thermal gradient over the length of the second hollow tubular element 8 .

Preferably the suction nozzle 2 comprises a cavity with an internal volume greater than 450 mm ³ . It has been found that providing a cavity of at least this volume enables improved aerosol formation. Such a cavity size would provide sufficient space within the mouthpiece 2 to allow the heated volatile components to cool, thus allowing the aerosol generating material 3 to be exposed to higher temperatures than would otherwise be possible as they could cause the aerosol to overheat . In the present embodiment this cavity is formed by the second hollow tubular element 8 , but in an alternative arrangement it could be formed in a different part of the nozzle 2 . More preferably the mouthpiece 2 comprises a cavity, eg formed in the second hollow tubular element 8, with an internal volume greater than ^500mm3 , more preferably greater than ^550mm3 , allowing further refinement of the aerosol. In some embodiments, the lumen comprises a volume of about 550 to about 750 mm ³ , eg, about 600 mm ³ or 700 mm ³ .

The second hollow tubular element 8 can be configured such that the heated volatile component enters the first upstream end of the second hollow tubular element 8 and the heated volatile component exits the second downstream end of the second hollow tubular element 8. A temperature difference of at least 40°C is provided between the volatile components. The second hollow tubular element 8 is preferably configured such that the heated volatile component enters the first upstream end of the second hollow tubular element 8 and the heated volatile component exits the second downstream end of the second hollow tubular element 8. A temperature difference of at least 60°C, preferably at least 80°C and more preferably at least 100°C is provided between the volatile components. This temperature difference over the length of the second hollow tubular element 8 will protect the body of temperature sensitive material 6 from the high temperature when the aerosol generating material 3 is heated.

In an alternative article, the second hollow tubular element 8 could be replaced by an alternative cooling element, for example an element formed from a body of material allowing the longitudinal passage of the aerosol and also performing the function of cooling the aerosol.

In this embodiment, the first hollow tubular element 4, the body of material 6 and the second hollow tubular element 8 are brought together using a second forming paper 9 wrapped around all three parts. Preferably the second build paper 9 has a basis weight of less than 50 gsm, more preferably about 20-45 gsm. Preferably, the thickness of the second molding paper 9 is 30 μm-60 μm, more preferably 35 μm-45 μm. The second plug paper 9 is preferably a non-porous plug paper having a permeability of less than 100 Coresta units, eg less than 50 Coresta units. However, in an alternative embodiment, the second plug paper 9 can be a porous plug paper, for example, having a permeability greater than 200 Coresta units.

In this embodiment, the aerosol generating material 3 is wrapped in a wrapper 10 . The wrapper 10 can be, for example, a paper or a paper-lined foil wrapper. In this embodiment, the wrapper 10 is substantially airtight. In alternative embodiments, the wrapper 10 preferably has a permeability of less than 100 Coresta units, more preferably less than 60 Coresta units. It has been found that a low permeability wrapper having a permeability of eg less than 100 Coresta units, more preferably less than 60 Coresta units, leads to improved aerosol formation in the aerosol generating material 3 . Without wishing to be bound by theory, it is hypothesized that this is due to reduced loss of aerosol compounds through the wrapper 10 . The permeability of the wrapping paper 10 can be measured according to ISO 2965:2009 concerning the determination of the air permeability of materials used as cigarette paper, filter wrapping paper and filter connecting paper.

In this embodiment, the wrapping paper 10 includes aluminum foil. Aluminum foil has been found to be particularly effective in promoting aerosol formation within the aerosol generating material 3 . In this example, the aluminum foil has a metal layer with a thickness of about 6 μm. In this example, the aluminum foil has a paper backing. However, in alternative arrangements the aluminum foil can have other thicknesses, eg a thickness of 4-16 μm. The aluminum foil also need not have a paper backing, but may have a backing formed from other materials, for example, to help provide the foil with suitable tensile strength, or it may have no backing material. Metal layers or foils other than aluminum may also be used. The overall thickness of the wrapper is preferably from 20 μm to 60 μm, more preferably from 30 μm to 50 μm, which provides a wrapper with suitable structural integrity and heat transfer properties. The stretching force that may be applied to the wrapper before the wrapper breaks may be greater than 3,000 grams force, eg, 3,000-10,000 grams force or 3,000-4,500 grams force.

The article has a ventilation level of about 75% of the aerosols drawn through the article. In alternative embodiments, the article can have a ventilation level of 50%-80%, eg, 65%-75%, of the aerosols drawn through the article. In some embodiments, the standard deviation of ventilation levels in a batch of articles produced according to the present disclosure is less than 5%, or less than 4%, or less than 3%. For the purpose of determining the standard deviation of ventilation levels, a batch is defined as at least 10 articles produced to the same specification. For example, those products provided in a pack of products can be used as the basis for the measurement. This standard deviation can be achieved due to the improved blending of the tobacco material and the amorphous solid material in the aerosol-generating material produced in accordance with the present invention, since the improved blend can result in a more consistent filling of the aerosol-generating material in the article.

These levels of ventilation help to slow down the flow of aerosol drawn through the mouthpiece 2 so that the aerosol can cool sufficiently before reaching the downstream end 2b of the mouthpiece 2 . This ventilation is provided directly into the mouthpiece 2 of the article 1 . In the present embodiment, ventilation is provided into the second hollow tubular element 8, which has been found to be particularly advantageous in assisting the aerosol generation process. This ventilation is provided by first and second side-by-side perforations 12 , formed in this case as laser perforations, at positions respectively 17.925 mm and 18.625 mm from the downstream mouth end 2b of the suction nozzle 2 . These perforations pass through the tipping paper 5 , the second forming paper 9 and the second hollow tubular element 8 . In alternative implementation occurrences, ventilation can be provided elsewhere in the suction nozzle, eg into the body of material 6 or into the first tubular element 4 .

Preferably the aerosol-generating material 3 is provided as a cylindrical rod of aerosol-generating material. Regardless of the form of the aerosol-generating material, it preferably has a length of about 10-100 mm. In some embodiments, the length of the aerosol-generating material is preferably in the range of about 25-50 mm, more preferably in the range of about 30-45 mm, and still more preferably in the range of about 30-40 mm.

The volume of the provided aerosol generating material 3 can be from about 200 mm ³ to about 4300, preferably from about 500 to 1500 mm ³ , more preferably from about 1000 to about 1300 mm ³ . Providing these volumes of aerosol-generating material, for example, from about 1000 to about 1300 ^mm3 , has proven advantageously to result in superior aerosols with greater visibility and sensory properties than volumes selected from the lower end of the range.

The mass of the provided aerosol generating material 3 can be greater than 200mg, for example, about 200mg-400mg, preferably about 230mg-360mg, more preferably about 250mg-360mg. It has advantageously been found that providing higher quality aerosol-generating material results in improved organoleptic properties compared to aerosols generated from lower quality tobacco material.

Figure 2a is a side cross-sectional view of another article 1', comprising a capsule-containing mouthpiece 2'. Figure 2b is a cross-sectional view of the mouthpiece containing the capsule shown in Figure 2a along its line A-A'. Product 1' and capsule-containing suction nozzle 2', except that in the present embodiment in the form of capsule 11, an aerosol modifier is provided in the material body 6 and an oil-resistant first molding paper 7' wraps the material body 6, Same as product 1 and nozzle 2 shown in FIG. 1 . In other embodiments, the aerosol modifier can be provided in other forms, such as a material injected into the material body 6, or provided on a thread, for example, a thread carrying a flavoring or other aerosol modifier, which can also be Set in the material body 6 .

Capsule 11 can comprise a frangible capsule, eg, a capsule having a solid frangible shell encasing a liquid payload. In this embodiment, a single capsule 11 is used. The capsule 11 is completely embedded in the body 6 of material. In other words, the capsule 11 is completely enclosed by the material constituting the body 6 . In other embodiments, a plurality of breakable capsules, eg 2, 3 or more breakable capsules, may be provided within the body of material 6 . The length of the body of material 6 can be increased to accommodate the required number of capsules. In embodiments where multiple capsules are used, individual capsules may be identical to each other, or may differ from each other in size and/or capsule payload. In other embodiments, multiple bodies of material 6 may be provided, with each body containing one or more capsules.

Capsule 11 has a core-shell structure. In other words, capsule 11 includes a shell enclosing a liquid agent, such as a flavor or other agent, which can be any of the flavors or aerosol modifiers described herein. The shell of the capsule can be broken by the user to release the flavoring or other agent into the body 6 of material. The first plug paper 7' can include a barrier coating such that the plug paper material is substantially impermeable to the liquid payload of the capsule 11 . Alternatively or additionally, the second plug paper 9 and/or tipping paper 5 can comprise a barrier coating such that the material of the plug paper and/or tipping paper is substantially impermeable to the liquid payload of the capsule 11 of.

In this embodiment, the capsule 11 is spherical and has a diameter of about 3 mm. In other embodiments, other shapes and sizes of capsules can be used. The total weight of capsule 11 may be in the range of about 10 to about 50 mg.

In this embodiment, the capsule 11 is located in a longitudinally central position within the body of material 6 . That is, the capsule 11 is positioned such that its center is 4 mm from each end of the body of material 6 . In other embodiments, the capsule 11 may be located at a position other than the longitudinal center position of the body 6 of material, ie closer to the downstream end of the body 6 of material than the upstream end, or closer to the upstream end of the body 6 of material than the downstream end. Preferably the mouthpiece 2' is configured such that the capsule 11 and the ventilation hole 12 are longitudinally offset from each other in the mouthpiece 2'.

Figure 2b shows a cross-section of the suction nozzle 2', which is taken through the line A-A' of Figure 2a. Figure 2b shows the capsule 11, the body of material 6, the first and second forming papers 7', 9 and the tipping paper 5. In this embodiment, the capsule 11 is centered on the longitudinal axis (not shown) of the mouthpiece 2'. The first and second forming papers 7 ′, 9 and the tipping paper 5 are arranged concentrically around the body of material 6 .

The breakable capsule 11 has a core-shell structure. That is, the encapsulating or barrier material forms a shell around the core comprising the aerosol modifier. The shell structure blocks migration of the aerosol modifying agent during storage of the article 1', but allows controlled release of the aerosol modifying agent, also known as aerosol modifying agent, during use.

In some cases, the barrier material (also referred to herein as the encapsulation material) is brittle. The capsule is crushed or otherwise ruptured or broken by the user to release the encapsulated aerosol modifier. Typically, the capsules rupture immediately before heating is initiated, but users can choose when to release the aerosol modifier. The term "rupturable capsule" refers to a capsule in which the shell can be ruptured by pressure to release the core; more specifically, when the user wishes to release the core of the capsule, the shell can be released under pressure from the user's finger rupture.

In some cases, the barrier material is heat resistant. That is, in some cases, the barrier layer will not rupture, melt or otherwise fail at the temperatures reached at the capsule site during operation of the aerosol supply device. For example, a capsule in the mouthpiece may be exposed to temperatures in the range of, for example, 30-100°C, and the barrier material may continue to hold the liquid core to at least about 50-120°C.

In other cases, the capsule releases the core composition when heated, for example, by melting the barrier material or by expanding the capsule causing the barrier material to rupture.

The total weight of the capsule may be in the range of about 1 mg to about 100 mg, suitably about 5 mg to about 60 mg, about 8 mg to about 50 mg, about 10 mg to about 20 mg or about 12 mg to about 18 mg.

The total weight of the core formulation may be in the range of about 2 mg to about 90 mg, suitably about 3 mg to about 70 mg, about 5 mg to about 25 mg, about 8 mg to about 20 mg or about 10 mg to about 15 mg.

Capsules according to the invention comprise a core and a shell as described above. The capsules may exhibit a crush strength of about 4.5N to about 40N, more preferably about 5N to about 30N or about 28N (eg, about 9.8N to about 24.5N). The bursting strength of the capsule can be measured when the capsule is removed from the body of material 6 and a dynamometer is used to measure the force with which the capsule collapses when it is squeezed between two flat metal plates. A suitable measuring device is a Sauter FK 50 dynamometer with flat head attachment which can be used to press the capsule against a flat hard surface with a similar surface to the attachment.

The capsule may be substantially spherical and have a diameter of at least about 0.4 mm, 0.6 mm, 0.8 mm, 1.0 mm, 2.0 mm, 2.5 mm, 2.8 mm, or 3.0 mm. The diameter of the capsule can be less than about 10.0 mm, 8.0 mm, 7.0 mm, 6.0 mm, 5.5 mm, 5.0 mm, 4.5 mm, 4.0 mm, 3.5 mm, or 3.2 mm. For example, the capsule diameter may be in the range of about 0.4 to about 10.0 mm, about 0.8 to about 6.0 mm, about 2.5 to about 5.5 mm, or about 2.8 to about 3.2 mm. In some cases, the capsule can have a diameter of about 3.0 mm. These dimensions are particularly suitable for incorporating capsules into the articles of manufacture described herein.

In some embodiments, the cross-sectional area of the capsule 11 at its largest cross-sectional area is less than 28%, more preferably less than 27%, and more preferably less than 25% of the cross-sectional area of the portion of the mouthpiece 2' provided with the capsule 11 . For example, for a spherical capsule having a diameter of 3.0 mm, the maximum cross-sectional area of the capsule is 7.07 mm ² . For a nozzle 2' described herein having a circumference of 21 mm, the body of material 6 has an outer circumference of 20.8 mm, whereas the radius of the assembly would be 3.31 mm, corresponding to a cross-sectional area of 34.43 mm ² . In this embodiment, the cross-sectional area of the capsule is 20.5% of the cross-sectional area of the mouthpiece 2'. As another example, if the capsule has a diameter of 3.2 mm, its maximum cross-sectional area would be 8.04 mm ² . In this case, the cross-sectional area of the capsule will be 23.4% of the cross-sectional area of the body 6 of material. Capsules with a maximum cross-sectional area less than 28% of the cross-sectional area of the portion of the mouthpiece 2' where the capsule 11 is provided have the advantage that the pressure drop across the mouthpiece 2' is reduced compared to capsules with a larger cross-sectional area , and retain enough space around the capsule for the passage of the aerosol as it passes through the mouthpiece 2' without requiring the body of material 6 to remove much of the aerosol mass.

The pressure drop or differential across the article (also referred to as resistance to draw) measured as the open pressure drop (ie when the vent is open) decreases preferably by less than _8mmH2O upon capsule rupture. More preferably the reduction in opening pressure drop is less than _6mmH2O , more preferably less than _5mmH2O . These values are determined as averages obtained from at least 80 articles made of the same design. Such a small change in pressure drop means that other aspects of product design, such as setting the correct level of ventilation for a given product pressure drop, can be achieved regardless of whether the consumer chooses to break the capsule.

The barrier material may contain one or more of gelling agents, bulking agents, buffers, colorants and plasticizers.

Suitably, the gelling agent of the capsule may be, for example, a polysaccharide or cellulose gelling agent, gelatin, gum, gel, wax or mixtures thereof. Suitable polysaccharides include alginate, dextran, maltodextrin, cyclodextrin and pectin. Suitable alginates include, for example, alginates, esterified alginates, or glyceryl alginates. Salts of alginic acid include ammonium alginate, triethanolamine alginate, and alginic acid Group I or Group II metal ion salts, such as sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium alginate. Esterified alginates include propylene glycol alginate and glycerol alginate. In one embodiment, the barrier material is sodium alginate and/or calcium alginate. Suitable cellulosic materials include methylcellulose, ethylcellulose, hydroxyethylcellulose, hydroxypropylcellulose, carboxymethylcellulose, cellulose acetate and cellulose ethers. The gelling agent may comprise one or more modified starches. Gelling agents may include carrageenan. Suitable gums include agar, gellan, acacia, pullulan gum, mannan, gati, tragacanth, karaya, locust bean, acacia, melon Gum, Papaya Seed and Xanthan Gum. Suitable gels include agar, agarose, carrageenan, furan and furcellaran. Suitable waxes include carnauba wax. In some cases, the gelling agent may include carrageenan and/or gellan gum; these gelling agents are particularly suitable for inclusion as gelling agents because of the pressure required to break the resulting capsules.

The barrier material may contain one or more fillers, such as starch, modified starch (eg, oxidized starch), and sugar alcohols such as maltitol.

The barrier material may comprise a colorant which will facilitate positioning of the capsule within the aerosol-generating device during the manufacturing process of the aerosol-generating device. The coloring agent is preferably selected from colorants and pigments.

The barrier material may also comprise at least one buffering agent, such as a citrate or phosphate compound.

The barrier material may further comprise at least one plasticizer, which may be glycerin, sorbitol, maltitol, triacetin, polyethylene glycol, propylene glycol or another polyol with plasticizing properties , and optionally an acid of the mono-, di- or tri-acid type, especially citric acid, fumaric acid, malic acid, etc. The amount of plasticizer is 1wt%-30wt%, preferably 2wt%-15wt%, and more preferably 3wt%-10wt% of the total dry weight of the shell.

The barrier material may also include one or more filler materials. Suitable filler materials include starch derivatives such as dextrin, maltodextrin, cyclodextrin (alpha, beta or gamma), or cellulose derivatives such as hydroxypropylmethylcellulose (HPMC), hydroxypropylcellulose Polyvinyl alcohol (HPC), methyl cellulose (MC), carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), polyvinyl alcohol, polyols or mixtures thereof. Dextrin is a preferred filler. The amount of filler in the shell is up to 98.5 wt%, preferably 25 wt% to 95 wt%, more preferably 40 wt% to 80 wt%, and still more preferably 50 wt% to 60 wt%, based on the total dry weight of the shell.

The capsule shell may additionally comprise a hydrophobic outer layer which reduces the susceptibility of the capsule to moisture-induced degradation. The hydrophobic outer layer is suitably selected from waxes, especially carnauba, candelilla or beeswax, carbowax, shellac (in alcohol or in aqueous solution), ethylcellulose, hydroxypropylmethylcellulose, hydroxypropylmethylcellulose, In the group consisting of propyl cellulose, latex composition, polyvinyl alcohol or combinations thereof. More preferably, the at least one moisture barrier is ethyl cellulose or a mixture of ethyl cellulose and shellac.

The capsule core contains the aerosol modifier. The aerosol modifier can be any volatile substance capable of modifying at least one property of the aerosol. For example, an aerosol substance can alter pH, organoleptic properties, water content, delivery properties, or flavor. In some cases, the aerosol modifier may be selected from acids, bases, water, or flavoring agents. In some embodiments, the aerosol modifier comprises one or more flavoring agents.

The flavoring agent may suitably be licorice, rose oil, vanilla, lemon oil, orange oil, peppermint flavoring, suitably menthol and/or peppermint oil from any species of the genus Mentha, such as peppermint oil and/or spearmint oil, or Lavender, fennel or anise.

In some instances, the flavoring agent includes menthol.

In some cases, the capsule may comprise at least about 25% w/w flavoring (based on the total weight of the capsule), suitably at least about 30% w/w flavoring, 35% w/w flavoring, 40% w/w flavor, 45% w/w flavor or 50% w/w flavor.

In some cases, the core may comprise at least about 25% w/w flavoring agent (based on the total weight of the core), suitably at least about 30% w/w flavoring agent, 35% w/w flavoring agent , 40% w/w flavoring, 45% w/w flavoring or 50% w/w flavoring. In some cases, the core may comprise less than or equal to about 75% w/w flavoring (based on the total weight of the core), suitably less than or equal to about 65% w/w flavoring, 55% w /w flavoring, or 50% w/w flavoring. Illustratively, the capsule may comprise 25%-75% w/w (based on the total weight of the core), about 35%-60% w/w or about 40%-55% w/w Flavoring.

The capsule may contain at least about 2 mg, 3 mg or 4 mg of an aerosol modifier, suitably at least about 4.5 mg of an aerosol modifier, 5 mg of an aerosol modifier, 5.5 mg of an aerosol modifier or 6 mg of an aerosol modifier. sex agent.

In some cases, the consumable comprises at least about 7 mg of an aerosol modifier, suitably at least about 8 mg of an aerosol modifier, 10 mg of an aerosol modifier, 12 mg of an aerosol modifier, or 15 mg of an aerosol modifier . The core may also contain a solvent for dissolving the aerosol modifier.

Any suitable solvent can be used.

Where the aerosol modifier comprises flavoring agents, the solvent may suitably comprise short or medium chain fats and oils. For example, the solvent may comprise a triglyceride, such as a C ₂ -C ₁₂ triglyceride, suitably a C ₆ -C ₁₀ triglyceride or a Cs-C ₁₂ triglyceride. For example, the solvent may comprise medium chain triglycerides (MCT- _C8 - _C12 ), which may be derived from palm oil and/or coconut oil.

The ester can be formed using caprylic acid and/or capric acid. For example, the solvent may comprise a medium chain triglyceride which is caprylic triglyceride and/or capric triglyceride. For example, the solvent may comprise a compound identified in the CAS Registry as number 73398-61-5, 65381-09-1, 85409-09-2. This medium chain triglyceride is odorless and tasteless.

The solvent may have a hydrophilic-lipophilic balance (HLB) in the range of 9-13, suitably 10-12. Methods of making capsules include coextrusion, optionally followed by centrifugation and curing and/or drying. The content of WO 2007/010407 A2 is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

In the embodiments described above, the suction nozzles 2 , 2 ′ each comprise a single body 6 of material. In other embodiments, the nozzle of Figure 1 or Figures 2a and 2b may comprise multiple bodies of material. The nozzles 2, 2' may comprise cavities between bodies of material.

In some embodiments, the nozzle 2, 2' downstream of the aerosol-generating material 3 may comprise a wrapping paper, for example, the first or second wrapping paper 7, 9 or tipping paper 5, which contains the aerosol as described herein. Sol modifiers or other sensate materials. The aerosol modifier may be disposed on the inwardly or outwardly facing surface of the mouthpiece wrapper. For example, the aerosol modifier or other sensory material may be disposed on an area of the wrapper, such as the outward facing surface of the tipping paper 5, which comes into contact with the consumer's lips during use. By disposing the aerosol modifier or other sensate material on the outer facing surface of the mouthpiece wrapper, the aerosol modifier or other sensate material can be transferred to the lips of the consumer during use. The transfer of an aerosol modifier or other sensory material to the lips of a consumer during use of the article can alter the sensory characteristics (e.g., taste) of the aerosol generated by the aerosol-generating substrate 3 or otherwise provide the consumer with Alternative sensory experiences. For example, the aerosol modifier or other sensory material may impart a flavor to the aerosol generated by the aerosol-generating substrate 3 . The aerosol modifier or other sensory material may be at least partially soluble in water such that it is delivered to the user via the consumer's saliva. The aerosol modifier or other sensory material may be a substance that is vaporized by heat generated by the aerosol supply system. This can facilitate the transfer of the aerosol modifier into the aerosol generated by the aerosol generating substrate 3 . A suitable sensate may be a flavoring agent as described herein, sucralose, or a cooling agent such as menthol.

According to embodiments described herein, a package comprising a plurality of articles as described herein can be provided. The amount of strips of amorphous solid material per article can vary by less than 40% between articles in the package, or by less than 30% between articles in the package, or by articles in the package The variation between is less than 20%. Alternatively or additionally, the plurality of strips of amorphous solid material in each article in the package may include a flavoring agent, and the flavorant delivered from each of the plurality of articles in use varies from article to article in the package Less than 50%, or less than 20% variation between articles in the package. For example, the standard deviation in flavor inclusion levels between articles in the package may be less than 50% by weight of the stated mean, or less than 30% of the stated mean, or less than 20% of the stated mean, For example, 5%-50% of the average value, or 5%-30% of the average value, or 10%-25% of the average value. The flavor level can be determined by chemical analysis known to those skilled in the art, and the standard deviation can be determined for a batch of at least 10 preparations, eg a package of preparations.

Figure 3 shows an example of a non-combustible aerosol supply device 100 for generating an aerosol from an aerosol generating medium/material (eg, the aerosol generating material 3 of the articles 1, 1' described herein). In general terms, device 100 may be used to heat a replaceable article 110 comprising an aerosol-generating medium, eg, articles 1 , 1 ′ described herein, to generate an aerosol or other inhalable medium that is inhaled by a user of device 100 . The device 100 and the replaceable article 110 together form a system.

The device 100 includes a housing 102 (in the form of an outer cover) that encloses and houses the components of the device 100 . The device 100 has an opening 104 at one end through which an article 110 can be inserted to be heated by the heating assembly. In use, article 110 may be fully or partially inserted into the heating assembly, wherein it may be heated by one or more components of the heater assembly.

The device 100 of this embodiment includes a first end member 106 that includes a cover 108 that is displaceable relative to the first end member 106 to close the opening 104 when no article 110 is in place. In FIG. 3, the cover 108 is shown in the open configuration, however the cover 108 may be moved to the closed configuration. For example, a user may slide cover 108 in the direction of arrow "B".

The device 100 may also include a user-operable control element 112, such as a button or switch, which operates the device 100 when pressed. For example, a user may turn on the device 100 by operating the switch 112 .

The device 100 may also include electrical components such as a socket/port 114 that may receive a cable to charge the battery of the device 100 . For example, receptacle 114 may be a charging port, such as a USB charging port.

FIG. 4 depicts the device 100 of FIG. 3 with the housing 102 removed and the article 110 absent. Device 100 defines a longitudinal axis 134 .

As shown in FIG. 4 , the first end member 106 is disposed at one end of the device 100 and the second end member 116 is disposed at the opposite end of the device 100 . First end member 106 and second end member 116 together at least partially define an end face of device 100 . For example, the bottom surface of the second end member 116 at least partially defines the bottom surface of the device 100 . The edge of the outer cover 102 may also define a portion of the end face. In this embodiment, cover 108 also defines a portion of the top surface of device 100 .

The end of the device closest to the opening 104 may be referred to as the proximal end (or mouth end) of the device 100 because, in use, it is closest to the user's mouth. In use, a user inserts article 110 into opening 104, operates user controls 112 to initiate heating of the aerosol-generating material and suction of the aerosol generated in the device. This causes the aerosol to flow through the device 100 along the flow path towards the proximal end of the device 100 .

The other end of the device furthest from the opening 104 may be referred to as the distal end of the device 100 since, in use, it is the end furthest away from the user's mouth. When a user inhales the aerosol generated in the device, the aerosol flows away from the distal end of the device 100 .

The device 100 also includes a power source 118 . Power source 118 may be, for example, a battery, such as a rechargeable battery or a non-rechargeable battery. Examples of suitable batteries include, for example, lithium batteries (eg, lithium-ion batteries), nickel batteries (eg, nickel-cadmium batteries), and alkaline batteries. The battery is electrically coupled to the heating assembly to provide power to heat the aerosol generating material when required under the control of a controller (not shown). In this embodiment, the battery is connected to a central support 120 that holds the battery 118 in place.

The device also includes at least one electronic module 122 . Electronics module 122 may include, for example, a printed circuit board (PCB). PCB 122 can support at least one controller, such as a processor and memory. PCB 122 may also include one or more electrical tracks to electrically connect the various electronic components of device 100 together. For example, battery terminals may be electrically connected to PCB 122 , enabling power to be distributed throughout device 100 . Receptacle 114 may also be electrically coupled to the battery through electrical tracks.

In the exemplary device 100, the heating assembly is an induction heating assembly and includes various components to heat the aerosol-generating material of the article 110 through an induction heating process. Induction heating is the process of heating a conductive object (such as a susceptor, susceptor) by electromagnetic induction. An induction heating assembly may comprise an induction element, eg, one or more induction coils, and means for passing a varying electrical current, such as alternating current, through the induction element. A changing current in the sensing element produces a changing magnetic field. The changing magnetic field penetrates a susceptor suitably positioned relative to the inductive element and creates eddy currents inside the susceptor. The susceptor has a resistance to eddy currents, and thus the flow of eddy currents against this resistance causes the susceptor to be heated by Joule heating. In the case where the susceptor comprises a ferromagnetic material such as iron, nickel or cobalt, hysteresis losses in the susceptor, i.e. due to the alignment of the magnetic dipoles in the magnetic material with the changing magnetic dipoles in the magnetic material The resulting change in orientation of the magnetic dipoles may also generate heat. In induction heating, for example, heat is generated inside the susceptor allowing rapid heating compared to heating by conduction. Furthermore, no physical contact is required between the induction heater and the susceptor, allowing increased freedom of configuration and application.

The induction heating assembly of the example device 100 includes a susceptor arrangement 132 (referred to herein as a “susceptor”), a first inductor coil 124 and a second inductor coil 126 . The first and second inductor coils 124, 126 are made of a conductive material. In this embodiment, the first and second inductor coils 124 , 126 are made of Litz wire/cable wound in a helical manner to provide the helical inductor coils 124 , 126 . Litz wire includes a plurality of individual wires that are each insulated and twisted together to form a single wire. Litz wire is designed to reduce skin effect loss in the conductor. In the example device 100, the first and second inductor coils 124, 126 are made of copper Litz wire having a rectangular cross-section. In other embodiments, the Litz wire can have other shaped cross-sections, such as circular.

First inductor coil 124 is configured to generate a first varying magnetic field for heating a first portion of susceptor 132 and second inductor coil 126 is configured to generate a second varying magnetic field for heating a second portion of susceptor 132 . In this embodiment, the first inductor coil 124 is adjacent to the second inductor coil 126 in a direction along the longitudinal axis 134 of the device 100 (ie, the first and second inductor coils 124, 126 do not overlap). . Susceptor assembly 132 may include a single susceptor, or two or more separate susceptors. Ends 130 of the first and second inductor coils 124 , 126 may be connected to the PCB 122 .

It should be appreciated that in some embodiments, the first and second inductor coils 124, 126 may have at least one characteristic that differs from each other. For example, first inductor coil 124 may have at least one characteristic different from second inductor coil 126 . More specifically, in one embodiment, the first inductor coil 124 may have a different inductance value than the second inductor coil 126 . In FIG. 4 , the first and second inductor coils 124 , 126 have different lengths such that the first inductor coil 124 is wound around a smaller portion of the susceptor 132 than the second inductor coil 126 . Accordingly, the first inductor coil 124 may include a different number of turns than the second inductor coil 126 (assuming the spacing between the individual turns is substantially the same). In yet another embodiment, the first inductor coil 124 may be made of a different material than the second inductor coil 126 . In some embodiments, the first and second inductor coils 124, 126 may be substantially identical.

In this embodiment, the first inductor coil 124 and the second inductor coil 126 are wound in opposite directions. This can be useful when the inductor coil is active at different times. For example, initially, the first inductor coil 124 may be operated to heat a first section/portion of the article 110 and at a later time, the second inductor coil 126 may be operated to heat a second section/portion of the article 110 . Winding the coils in opposite directions helps reduce the current induced in inactive coils when used in conjunction with certain types of control circuits. In FIG. 4, the first inductor coil 124 is a right-handed helical and the second inductor coil 126 is a left-handed helical. However, in another embodiment, the inductor coils 124, 126 may be wound in the same direction, or the first inductor coil 124 may be a left-handed spiral and the second inductor coil 126 may be a right-handed spiral.

The susceptor 132 of this example is hollow, thus defining a container in which the aerosol generating material is received. For example, article 110 can be inserted into receptacle 132 . In this embodiment, susceptor 120 is tubular, having a circular cross-section.

Susceptor 132 may be made of one or more materials. Preferably susceptor 132 comprises carbon steel with a nickel or cobalt coating.

In some embodiments, susceptor 132 may include at least two materials capable of being heated at two different frequencies for selectively aerosolizing the at least two materials. For example, a first portion of susceptor 132 (heated by first inductor coil 124 ) may comprise a first material, while a second portion of susceptor 132 heated by second inductor coil 126 may comprise a second, different, second material. In another embodiment, the first portion may include first and second materials, wherein the first and second materials are capable of being heated differently based on the operation of the first inductor coil 124 . The first and second materials may be adjacent along an axis defined by susceptor 132 , or may form distinct layers within susceptor 132 . Similarly, the second portion may include third and fourth materials, wherein the third and fourth materials are capable of being heated differently based on the operation of the second inductor coil 126 . The third and fourth materials may be adjacent along the axis defined by susceptor 132 , or may form different layers within susceptor 132 . For example, the third material may be the same as the first material, and the fourth material may be the same as the second material. Alternatively, each material can be different. The susceptor may comprise, for example, carbon steel or aluminum.

The device 100 of FIG. 4 also includes an insulating member 128 , which may be generally tubular and at least partially surrounds the susceptor 132 . The insulating member 128 may be constructed of any insulating material, such as plastic. In this particular embodiment, the insulating member is composed of polyetheretherketone (PEEK). Insulation member 128 may assist in insulating components of device 100 from heat generated in susceptor 132 .

The insulating member 128 may also fully or partially support the first and second inductor coils 124 , 126 . For example, as shown in FIG. 4 , the first and second inductor coils 124 , 126 are positioned around the insulating member 128 and in contact with the radially outward surface of the insulating member 128 . In some embodiments, the insulating member 128 does not abut the first and second inductor coils 124 , 126 . For example, there may be a small gap between the outer surface of the insulating member 128 and the inner surfaces of the first and second inductor coils 124 , 126 .

In a particular embodiment, susceptor 132 , insulating member 128 , and first and second inductor coils 124 , 126 are coaxial about a central longitudinal axis of susceptor 132 .

FIG. 5 shows a side view of device 100 in partial cross-section. In this embodiment a housing 102 is present. The rectangular cross-sectional shape of the first and second inductor coils 124, 126 is more clearly visible.

The device 100 also includes a support 136 that engages one end of the susceptor 132 to hold the susceptor 132 in place. The support 136 is connected to the second end member 116 .

The device may also include a second printed circuit board 138 associated with the control element 112 .

The device 100 also includes a second cover/cover 140 and a spring 142 arranged towards the distal end of the device 100 . Spring 142 allows opening of second cover 140 to provide access to receptacle 132 . A user may open the second cover 140 to clean the receptacle 132 and/or the support 136 .

The device 100 also includes an inflation chamber 144 extending away from the proximal end of the susceptor 132 towards the opening 104 of the device. Located at least partially within the expansion chamber 144 is a retaining clip 146 that abuts and retains the article 110 when the article 110 is received within the device 100 . The expansion chamber 144 is connected to the end member 106 .

FIG. 6 is an exploded view of the device 100 of FIG. 5 with the outer cover 102 omitted.

FIG. 7A depicts a cross-section of a portion of device 100 of FIG. 5 . Figure 7B depicts a close-up of the region of Figure 7A. 7A and 7B show article 110 received within receptacle 132 , wherein article 110 is sized such that an outer surface of article 110 abuts an inner surface of receptacle 132 . This ensures the most efficient heating possible. The article 110 of this embodiment includes an aerosol generating material 110a. Aerosol-generating material 110a is located within susceptor 132 . Article 110 may also include other components, such as filters, wrapping materials, and/or cooling structures.

FIG. 7B shows that the outer surface of the susceptor 132 is spaced apart from the inner surfaces of the inductor coils 124 , 126 by a distance 150 , as measured in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis 158 of the susceptor 132 . In a specific embodiment, the spacing 150 is about 3-4 mm, about 3-3.5 mm, or about 3.25 mm.

FIG. 7B also shows that the outer surface of the insulating member 128 is spaced apart from the inner surfaces of the inductor coils 124 , 126 by a distance 152 , as measured in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis 158 of the susceptor 132 . In one specific embodiment, spacing 152 is about 0.05 mm. In another embodiment, the spacing 152 is substantially 0 mm such that the inductor coils 124 , 126 abut and contact the insulating member 128 .

In one embodiment, susceptor 132 has a wall thickness 154 of about 0.025-1 mm, or about 0.05 mm.

In one embodiment, susceptor 132 has a length of about 40-60 mm, about 40-45 mm, or about 44.5 mm.

In one embodiment, insulating member 128 has a wall thickness 156 of about 0.25-2 mm, 0.25-1 mm, or about 0.5 mm.

In use, the article 1, 1' described herein can be inserted into a non-combustible aerosol supply device, such as the device 100 described with reference to Figures 3-7A-7B. At least a part of the mouthpiece 2, 2' of the article 1, 1' protrudes from the non-combustible aerosol supply 100 and can be placed in the mouth of a user. The aerosol is generated by heating the aerosol-generating material 3 using the device 100 . The aerosol generated by the aerosol-generating material 3 reaches the user's mouth through the mouthpiece 2 .

Figure 8 illustrates a first method of producing an aerosol-generating material, eg, for use in an article for use in a non-combustible aerosol supply system.

In step S101, the amorphous solid material in the form of a single-thickness sheet is fed into a shredding device. This can be achieved, for example, by providing a bobbin of amorphous solid sheet material which can be continuously fed into a shredding device. Alternatively, discrete portions of amorphous solid material in the form of sheets, known to those skilled in the art as flag sheets, can be fed into the shredding device. The present inventors have surprisingly found that it is beneficial for amorphous solid material in sheet form when shredding at a single sheet thickness as compared to the conventional tobacco cutting process in which several sheets are simultaneously fed to the cutting device . Feeding multi-thickness amorphous solid sheets to a shredding device in a single pass tends to result in an uneven distribution of the material in the final aerosol-generating material, as the multi-thickness sheets may stick together, resulting in Form lumps. Alternatively, multiple thicknesses of the amorphous solid sheet can be fed into the shredding device in a single pass, eg, where the "stickiness" of the amorphous solid sheet is relatively low, avoiding the formation of lumps.

In step S102, the single-thickness amorphous solid material is shredded to obtain a strip of amorphous solid material with a defined cut width. Optionally, the amorphous solid material may be subjected to a second cutting step, such as during a cross-cut type shredding process, to obtain a defined cut length.

In step S103, the strip of amorphous solid material obtained in step S102 is mixed with tobacco material. The inventors have advantageously found that the mixing of the chopped amorphous solid material with the tobacco material should preferably take place as soon as possible after step S102. The present inventors have discovered that prolonged storage of chopped amorphous solid material results in the formation of agglomerates of amorphous solid fragments in the chopped material such that when the chopped amorphous solid material is mixed with tobacco material and used to form In the case of an article as described herein, agglomeration of the amorphous solid material results in a non-uniform distribution of the amorphous solid material between the article and within the individual rods of aerosol-generating material.

In some embodiments, the chopped amorphous solid material is introduced less than 12 hours, for example, less than 6 hours, or less than 4 hours, or less than 2 hours, or less than 1 hour, after the cutting step into the tobacco material. Alternatively, the chopped amorphous solid material may be fed into the tobacco material in an in-line process whereby the chopping of the amorphous solid material and the introduction of the chopped material into the tobacco material form the final The time between aerosol-generating materials may be less than 30s, eg, less than 20s, or less than 10s.

In some embodiments, a method of producing an aerosol-generating material includes cutting a sheet of amorphous solid material to form strips of amorphous solid material having a cut length of at least about 5 mm, or at least about 10 mm, or at least about 20 mm. In some embodiments, the method includes cutting a sheet of amorphous solid material to form a plurality of strips of amorphous solid material, each strip having a cut length of about 5 to about 60 mm, or about 10 to about 55 mm, or about 20 mm to about 50 mm .

The mixing step can be carried out using a tumble blender, eg, rotating at an RPM of 5-30 RPM, eg, 10-15 RPM. The diameter of the drum can be 0.8-1.2m, in which 5 groups of 10-20 pins (optional) protrude from the inner wall of the drum to the center of the drum, and the length of the pins is 5%-15% of the diameter of the drum, for example , about 10%, while each set of pins is spaced longitudinally along the length of the drum, and each set is spaced around the inner circumference. During mixing operation, the drum angle on its central axis may be about 10-30 degrees from horizontal (open side up). Batches with a total solids content of 5-20 kg (typically 8-10 kg) can be mixed in such a drum for a mixing time of 30 seconds to 10 minutes, eg 30 seconds to 2 minutes.

Alternatively, the mixing step can be introduced into the standard primary manufacturing process of the tobacco material, for example, using add-back lines and flavor mixing cartridges. This approach may be applicable to larger quantities of material. Continuous drum The blender can be used, it is fed by two weighed conveyors, each conveyor feeds one component (tobacco material or cut amorphous solid material) at the correct relative kg/hr rate , such as shredding gels), to achieve the desired inclusion level of amorphous solids in the aerosol-generating material. The components are blended in the tumbler mixer during its passage and collected at the outlet. Typical dimensions and operating conditions for a continuous drum blender are an RPM of 12-15 RPM, a drum diameter of 0.6-0.8 m, and a drum length of 2.0-3.0 m. The residence time of the material in the drum can be 30-120 seconds (usually 40-70 seconds).

Figure 9 illustrates a second method of producing an aerosol-generating material, eg, for use in an article for use in a non-combustible aerosol supply system. The second method can be carried out using the apparatus described above with respect to the first method, and those skilled in the art will appreciate that the steps of the first and second methods may be combined as appropriate. The method includes the step of cutting a first portion of amorphous solid material to form a first assembly comprising a plurality of strips of amorphous solid material having a first length (S201). The method also includes the step of cutting the second portion of the amorphous solid material to form a second assembly comprising a plurality of strips of the amorphous solid material having a second length different from the first length (S202). At step S203, the cut strips of amorphous solid material are mixed with tobacco material comprising rods and/or strands of tobacco material. The use of two or more different lengths of amorphous solid material enables the size of individual strips of amorphous solid material to more closely match the material size distribution of the tobacco material, resulting in better mixing of the amorphous solid and tobacco material.

The various embodiments described herein are used only to aid in understanding and to teach the claimed features. These embodiments are provided only as representative examples of implementations, and are not exhaustive and/or exclusive. It should be understood that the advantages, embodiments, examples, functions, features, structures and/or other aspects described herein should not be regarded as limitations on the scope of the present invention defined by the claims or equivalents to the claims limitations, and other embodiments may be utilized and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as claimed. Embodiments of the invention may suitably comprise, consist of, or consist essentially of, suitable combinations of the disclosed elements, components, features, parts, steps, means, etc., in addition to those specifically described herein. In addition, the present disclosure may include other inventions that are not presently claimed but which may be claimed in the future.

Claims (49)

1. An aerosol generating material comprising strands and/or strands of tobacco material and a plurality of amorphous solid materials, wherein the strands and/or strands of tobacco material and the plurality of amorphous solid materials each have a length of at least about 5mm.

2. An aerosol generating material according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of strips of amorphous solid material have an areal density of from about 55 to about 135 grams per square meter, or from about 80 to about 100 grams per square meter, or from about 100 to 125 grams per square meter.

3. An aerosol-generating material according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the tobacco material comprises an aerosol former in an amount of less than 10wt% of the tobacco material.

4. An aerosol generating material according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the plurality of strips of amorphous solid material has an area density of from 70% to 110% of the area density of the tobacco material.

5. An aerosol-generating material according to any of claims 1 to 4, wherein the tobacco material comprises reconstituted tobacco material.

6. An aerosol generating material according to any of claims 1 to 5, wherein the tobacco material comprises a paper reconstituted tobacco material.

7. An aerosol generating material according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the reconstituted tobacco material has an areal density of from 80 grams per square metre to 120 grams per square metre.

8. An aerosol generating material according to any of claims 1 to 7, wherein the plurality of strips of amorphous solid material have a non-uniform length distribution.

9. An aerosol generating material according to claim 8, wherein the length distribution of the plurality of strips of amorphous solid material is a multimodal distribution.

10. An aerosol-generating material according to any of claims 8 or 9, wherein the strands and/or pieces of tobacco material have a multi-modal length distribution.

11. An aerosol generating material according to any of claims 1 to 10, wherein the length distribution of the strands and/or strips of tobacco material and the length distribution of the strips of amorphous solid material have the same modulus.

12. An aerosol generating material according to claim 10, wherein the modulus of the length distribution of the plurality of amorphous solids is selected to match the modulus of the length distribution of the strand and/or rod amorphous solid material.

13. An aerosol generating material according to any of claims 1 to 12, wherein at least one of the plurality of strips of amorphous solid material has a length of greater than about 10mm.

14. An aerosol generating material according to any of claims 1 to 13, wherein 50% to 90% of the plurality of amorphous solids have a length of 35 to 45 mm.

15. An aerosol generating material according to claim 14, wherein 60% to 85% of the plurality of amorphous solids have a length of 35 to 45 mm.

16. An aerosol generating material according to claim 14 or 15, wherein at least 50% of the remaining plurality of amorphous solids has a length of from 10mm to 30mm.

17. The aerosol generating material according to any of claims 1 to 16, wherein at least one of the plurality of strips of amorphous solid material has a length of from about 10mm to about 60mm, or from about 20mm to about 50mm.

18. The aerosol generating material according to any of claims 1 to 17, wherein each of the plurality of strips of amorphous solid material has a length of from about 10mm to about 60mm, or from about 20mm to about 50mm.

19. An aerosol generating material according to any of claims 1 to 18, wherein the rod of amorphous solid material has an average cut width of from 0.75mm to 2mm.

20. An aerosol generating material according to any of claims 1 to 19, wherein the rod of amorphous solid material has an average cut width of from 0.8mm to 1.75 mm.

21. An aerosol generating material according to any of claims 1 to 20, wherein the rod of amorphous solid material has an average cut width of from 1mm to 1.5mm.

22. An aerosol generating material according to any of claims 1 to 21, wherein the aerosol generating material comprises an aerosol former, optionally glycerol, and/or optionally in an amount of 10wt% to 20wt% of the aerosol generating material comprising the amorphous solid material.

23. An aerosol generating material according to any one of claims 1 to 22, wherein the tobacco material comprises water in an amount of from 5wt% to 10wt%, or from 7.5wt% to 9.5 wt%.

24. An aerosol-generating material according to claim 22, wherein the standard deviation of the aerosol-former content of the aerosol-generating material between at least ten 10 gram samples is less than 30%, or less than 25%, of the mean aerosol-former content in the aerosol-generating material.

25. An article comprising the aerosol generating material of any of claims 1-24.

26. The article according to claim 25, wherein the plurality of amorphous solid materials comprises a flavoring agent, optionally menthol, and wherein delivery of the flavoring agent from an article at the time of use varies by less than 50% between the article and other articles of the same batch.

27. An article according to claim 25 or 26, wherein the aerosol generating material comprises an aerosol former, optionally glycerol, in an amount of from 10wt% to 15wt%, or from 12wt% to 14wt%.

28. A package comprising a plurality of articles, each article according to any of claims 25-27, wherein the plurality of strips of amorphous solid material varies in amount by less than 40% between the packaged articles, or varies by less than 30% between the packaged articles, or varies by less than 20% between the packaged articles.

29. A package comprising a plurality of articles, each article according to any of claims 25-27, wherein the plurality of amorphous solid materials comprises a flavoring agent, optionally menthol, and wherein the delivery of the flavoring agent from each of the plurality of articles in use varies by less than 50% between the packaged articles, or varies by less than 20% between the packaged articles.

30. A package comprising a plurality of articles, each article according to any one of claims 25-27, wherein the plurality of amorphous solid materials comprises a flavoring agent, optionally menthol, and wherein the total content of the flavoring agent in each of the plurality of articles in use has a standard deviation of less than 30% of the average content of the flavoring agent in the article, or has a standard deviation of less than 20% of the average content of the flavoring agent in the article, and wherein at least 20% of the average flavoring agent is provided in the strip of amorphous solid material.

31. A package comprising a plurality of articles, each article according to any one of claims 25-27, wherein the plurality of amorphous solid materials comprises a flavoring agent, optionally menthol, and the total amount of flavoring agent is 5 mg/article-30 mg/article, or 16 mg/article-22 mg/article, or 5 mg/article-10 mg/article, or 17 mg/article-30 mg/article.

32. A package comprising a plurality of articles, each article according to any one of claims 25 to 27, wherein the plurality of amorphous solid materials comprises a flavoring agent, optionally menthol, and the standard deviation of the total amount of flavoring agent between the packaged articles is less than 30% or 20% by weight of the average total amount of the flavoring agent, and wherein amorphous solid comprises at least 50% of the average total amount of the flavoring agent in each article.

33. A package comprising a plurality of articles, each article according to any of claims 25-27, wherein the articles are provided with ventilation, and wherein the standard deviation of the ventilation level between the packaged articles is less than 15%, or less than 10%, or less than 9%.

34. A package comprising a plurality of articles, each article according to any of claims 25-27, wherein the plurality of amorphous solid materials comprises an aerosol-former, optionally glycerol, and wherein the total content of the aerosol-former in each of the plurality of articles in use has a standard deviation of less than 30% of the average content of the aerosol-former in the article, or has a standard deviation of less than 25% of the average content of the aerosol-former in the article, and wherein at least 20% of the average aerosol-former is provided in the rod of amorphous solid material.

35. A consumable for an aerosol provision system, wherein the consumable comprises an article according to any of claims 25 to 27.

36. A consumable as claimed in claim 35, wherein the aerosol generating material is provided in the form of a rod having a first end and a second end, and wherein the portion of the rod between the first end of the rod and half way through the longitudinal position between the first and second ends comprises 20-80% of the amorphous solid material in the rod.

37. A non-flammable aerosol provision system comprising a non-flammable aerosol provision device and a consumable according to claim 35 or 36, wherein the device is arranged to heat an aerosol generating material of the consumable.

38. A method for producing an aerosol generating material according to any of claims 1 to 24, comprising cutting a sheet of amorphous solid material to form a plurality of strips of amorphous solid material having a cut length of at least about 5mm.

39. A method for producing an aerosol generating material comprising feeding a single thickness sheet of amorphous solid material into a cutting apparatus to form a plurality of strips of amorphous solid material.

40. A method according to claim 38 or 39, comprising cutting the plurality of strips of amorphous solid material across the width of the strip, optionally wherein the strips of amorphous solid material are cut transversely and longitudinally in one step.

41. A method for producing an aerosol generating material, the method comprising:

cutting a first portion of an amorphous solid material to form a first component comprising a plurality of strips of amorphous solid material having a first length; and

cutting a second portion of the amorphous solid material to form a second component comprising a plurality of strips of amorphous solid material having a second length different from the first length.

42. The method of claim 41, wherein the first component and the second component are mixed to form a plurality of strips of amorphous solid material having a non-uniform length distribution.

43. The method of any one of claims 38-42, further comprising a mixing step, wherein the rod of amorphous solid material is mixed with a tobacco material.

44. A method for producing an aerosol generating material comprising cutting a sheet of amorphous solid material to form a plurality of strips of amorphous solid material, and mixing the plurality of strips of amorphous solid material with a tobacco material, wherein the cutting step and the mixing step are carried out within 12 hours of each other, or within 6 hours of each other, or within 2 hours of each other, or within 30 seconds of each other.

45. The method of claim 44, wherein the plurality of strips of amorphous solid material are conveyed between the cutting step and the mixing step.

46. The method of any one of claims 38-45, wherein the amorphous solid material is cut in a shredder to form a strip, optionally wherein the shredder is a cross-cut shredder.

47. The method of claim 46, wherein the shredder is configured to produce a plurality of pieces of material having a range of lengths.

48. An aerosol generating material obtainable by the process of any one of claims 38 to 47, wherein the amorphous solid comprises an aerosol former, optionally glycerol, and the standard deviation of the aerosol former content of "N" 10 gram samples of the aerosol generating material is less than 30% of the mean, or less than 25% of the mean, wherein "N" is 10 or greater.

49. An aerosol generating material obtainable by the process of any one of claims 38 to 47, wherein the amorphous solid comprises a flavour, optionally menthol, and the standard deviation of the flavour content of 'N' 10 gram samples of the aerosol generating material is less than 30% of the mean, or less than 25% of the mean, wherein "N" is 10 or greater.

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