JP2025523720A - Tobacco coated sheets and consumables made therefrom - Google Patents

Abstract

The present disclosure provides an aerosol-generating material in the form of a sheet. The aerosol-generating material includes one or more binders and/or foam-forming agents, fillers, aerosol-former materials, and tobacco materials embedded in or adhered to a surface of the sheet. Additionally, a method of preparing the aerosol-generating material is provided. The aerosol-generating material can be configured for use in an aerosol-generating element for an aerosol delivery device. An aerosol-generating element and an aerosol delivery device including the aerosol-generating material are also provided. Such devices utilize electrically generated heat or a combustible ignition source to heat the aerosol-generating material to provide an inhalable substance in the form of an aerosol.

Description

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/353,160, filed June 17, 2022, and to U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/442,237, filed January 31, 2023, each of which is incorporated by reference in its entirety for all purposes.

The present disclosure relates to aerosol generating elements including aerosol generating materials and methods of making the same. The present disclosure further relates to consumables for use in flammable or non-flammable aerosol delivery systems, to consumables including aerosol generating elements, and to non-flammable and flammable aerosol delivery systems.

Smoking articles, such as cigarettes, cigars, and the like, burn tobacco during use to create tobacco smoke. Alternatives to these types of articles release inhalable aerosols or vapors by releasing compounds from a substrate material through heating without combustion. These may be referred to as non-combustible smoking articles, aerosol generating assemblies, or non-combustible aerosol delivery systems. One example of such a product is a heating device that releases compounds by heating, rather than burning, a solid aerosolizable material. This solid aerosolizable material may, in some cases, contain tobacco material. The heating volatilizes at least one component of the material, typically forming an inhalable aerosol. These products may be referred to as heated (non-combustion) devices, tobacco heating devices, or tobacco heating products (THPs). A variety of different arrangements for volatilizing at least one component of a solid aerosolizable material are known.

Another example is a hybrid e-cigarette/tobacco heating product device, also known as an e-cigarette hybrid device. These hybrid devices contain a liquid source (which may or may not contain nicotine) that is vaporized by heating to produce an inhalable vapor or aerosol. These devices further contain a solid aerosolizable material (which may or may not contain tobacco material), the components of which are entrained in the inhalable vapor or aerosol to produce the inhalation medium.

Certain such tobacco heating products and e-cigarette hybrid devices suffer from inconsistent performance characteristics. For example, some articles suffer from inconsistent release of inhalable material, improper dosing of the substrate aerosol-forming material, or poor sensory characteristics. It may therefore be desirable to provide a non-combustible smoking article that can provide the sensation of cigarette, cigar, or pipe smoking without burning the substrate material and with advantageous performance characteristics.

(Summary of the Invention)
The present disclosure relates to aerosol generating elements and aerosol delivery devices that utilize electrically generated heat or a combustible ignition source to heat aerosol-generating materials to provide inhalable substances in the form of an aerosol for human consumption.

Aerosol-generating elements in the form of a sheet have favorable loading capabilities over similar cast sheet technologies. However, previous attempts at adding tobacco characteristics by mixing milled tobacco into a foam slurry to prepare a tobacco-containing sheet have adversely affected the density of the foam sheet. Surprisingly, it has been found in accordance with the present disclosure that top-loading tobacco pieces onto a sheet provides the desired tobacco characteristics to the aerosol-generating material while maintaining the desired loading capabilities. Without wishing to be bound by theory, it is believed that the addition of tobacco material onto/in the sheet may deliver better tobacco characteristics during the smoking action, as direct contact between the tobacco material and the aerosol former material present in the foam sheet may enhance the tobacco flavor. The disclosed aerosol-forming materials have further desirable properties, such as: 1) immobilizing the tobacco material and preventing it from falling out of consumables containing the disclosed aerosol-forming materials, even at very low tobacco rod weights; 2) adding thickness to the sheet from foaming and depositing irregularly shaped tobacco pieces; 3) simplifying the design of the consumable by utilizing a single substrate material; 4) the opportunity to adjust/optimize flavor and user satisfaction through tobacco type selection; and 5) the opportunity to adjust/optimize the physical parameters of the user device, such as pressure drop.

Thus, in one aspect, the present disclosure provides an aerosol-generating material in the form of a sheet, which may or may not be foamed, having a surface, comprising:
(i) one or more binders and/or foam-forming agents;
(ii) a filler;
(iii) an aerosol-forming material; and (iv) a tobacco material embedded in the sheet or adhered to a surface of the sheet.

In some embodiments, the sheet is foamed and the foamed sheet comprises one or more foam forming agents. In some embodiments, the aerosol generating material further comprises about 1 to about 6% by weight of a foam stabilizer. In some embodiments, the foam stabilizer comprises one or more surfactants or emulsifiers. In some embodiments, the foam stabilizer comprises sodium lauryl sulfate, sorbitan monostearate, sorbitan monooleate, polyoxyethylene sorbitan monostearate, polyethylene glycol sorbitan monooleate, cocamidopropyl betaine, lecithin, or combinations thereof.

In some embodiments, the aerosol generating material further comprises a foaming agent. In some embodiments, the foaming agent comprises calcium carbonate, sodium carbonate, sodium bicarbonate, or a combination thereof; and citric acid, tartaric acid, acetic acid, aluminum sulfate, or a combination thereof.

In some embodiments, the aerosol generating material comprises about 5 to about 35% by weight of a foam-forming agent. In some embodiments, the foam-forming agent comprises hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC), a gum, a modified starch, maltodextrin, or a combination thereof. In some embodiments, the foam-forming agent comprises HPMC.

In some embodiments, the sheet is unfoamed and the aerosol-generating material comprises one or more binders. In some embodiments, the one or more binders comprise carboxymethylcellulose, alginates, natural gums, or combinations thereof.

In some embodiments, the aerosol-generating material comprises about 10 to about 85% by weight of a filler. In some embodiments, the filler comprises wood pulp, microcrystalline cellulose, or a combination thereof.

In some embodiments, the aerosol generating material comprises about 20 to about 30% by weight of the aerosol former material.

In some embodiments, the aerosol former material includes glycerol, propylene glycol, 1,3-propanediol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, tetraethylene glycol, 1,3-butylene glycol, erythritol, meso-erythritol, ethyl vanillate, ethyl laurate, diethyl suberate, triethyl citrate, triacetin, diacetin mixtures, benzyl benzoate, benzyl phenylacetate, tributyrin, lauryl acetate, lauric acid, myristic acid, propylene carbonate, or combinations thereof. In some embodiments, the aerosol former material is glycerol, propylene glycol, or combinations thereof.

In some embodiments, the sheet has a density in the range of about 0.02 g/cm ³ to about 0.7 g/cm ^3. In some embodiments, the aerosol-generating material has the formula:
Filling value = (bulk volume/weight) x 100;
(where bulk volume is determined using a density meter).
In some embodiments, the aerosol-generating material has a porosity of greater ^than about 100 seconds/100 ml, as determined using a Gurley Densometer.

In some embodiments, the tobacco material embedded in or adhered to the surface of the sheet is granular or fibrous tobacco. In some embodiments, the tobacco material embedded in or adhered to the surface of the sheet has a width in the range of about 1 to about 2 mm and a length of up to about 3 mm. In some embodiments, the tobacco material embedded in or adhered to the surface of the sheet, the granular tobacco material, is powdered tobacco.

In some embodiments, the aerosol-generating material is in the form of a laminate.

In some embodiments, the aerosol-generating material further comprises a topcoat of a film-forming agent disposed on the surface of the sheet and covering the tobacco material embedded in or adhered to the surface of the sheet. In some embodiments, the film-forming agent is selected from the group consisting of hydroxypropyl cellulose, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, carboxymethyl cellulose, modified starch, maltodextrin, alginate, carrageenan, xanthan, gellan, acacia gum, tragacanth gum, monoglycerides, diglycerides, triethyl citrate, and combinations thereof. In some embodiments, the film-forming agent is hydroxypropyl methylcellulose. In some embodiments, the film-forming agent is a combination of hydroxypropyl cellulose, monoglycerides, diglycerides, and triethyl citrate.

In another aspect, there is provided an aerosol-generating element comprising the aerosol-generating material disclosed herein.

In some embodiments, the aerosol-generating element comprises about 10 to about 100% by weight of the aerosol-generating material.

In some embodiments, the aerosol-generating material is in the form of a corrugated sheet. In some embodiments, the corrugated sheet is crimped and gathered into a cylindrical rod, and the aerosol-generating element further includes a wrapping material surrounding the rod.

In some embodiments, the aerosol-generating material is in the form of a shredded sheet. In some embodiments, the shredded sheet is blended with additional tobacco material having properties different from the tobacco material embedded or adhered to the surface of the sheet. In some embodiments, the additional tobacco material comprises reconstituted tobacco, tobacco lamina, fine cut tobacco, cut rag tobacco, or combinations thereof.

In yet another aspect, a consumable product is provided for use in a non-flammable aerosol delivery device and including an aerosol generating element as disclosed herein.

In yet another aspect, a non-flammable aerosol delivery system is provided that includes a consumable as disclosed herein and a non-flammable aerosol delivery device, the non-flammable aerosol delivery device including an aerosol generating device configured to generate an aerosol from the consumable when the consumable is used with the non-flammable aerosol delivery device.

In yet another aspect, a combustible aerosol delivery system is provided that includes a consumable and a combustible aerosol delivery device as disclosed herein.

In another aspect, there is provided a method of forming an aerosol-generating material in the form of a sheet having a surface and having tobacco material embedded in the sheet or adhered to the surface, comprising the steps of:
(a)
(i) one or more binders and/or foam-forming agents;
(ii) a filler;
(iii) an aerosol former material; and (iv) providing a slurry comprising a solvent;
(b) optionally aerating the slurry to form an aerated slurry;
(c) forming a layer of the optionally aerated slurry;
(d) depositing tobacco material onto the layer of optionally aerated slurry; and (e) drying the layer of optionally aerated slurry having the tobacco material deposited thereon to form an aerosol-generating material.

In some embodiments, the sheet is foamed.

In some embodiments, aerating the slurry includes mixing the slurry under high shear conditions. In some embodiments, providing the slurry includes mixing the slurry under high shear conditions such that aeration occurs as part of step (a).

In some embodiments, aerating the slurry includes bubbling a gas through the slurry.

In some embodiments, aerating the slurry includes adding a foaming agent to the slurry and allowing the foaming agent to foam, thereby introducing air bubbles into the slurry.

In some embodiments, the aerosol-generating material is topcoated with a film-forming agent and the method comprises:
further comprising: after (d), disposing a film-forming agent on the slurry and, optionally, drying the disposed film-forming agent to form a topcoated aerosol-generating material; or after (e), disposing a film-forming agent on the aerosol-generating material and, optionally, drying the disposed film-forming agent to form a topcoated aerosol-generating material.

In some embodiments, the film-forming agent is selected from the group consisting of hydroxypropyl cellulose, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, carboxymethyl cellulose, modified starch, maltodextrin, alginate, carrageenan, xanthan, gellan, acacia gum, tragacanth gum, monoglycerides, diglycerides, triethyl citrate, and combinations thereof. In some embodiments, the film-forming agent is hydroxypropyl methylcellulose. In some embodiments, the film-forming agent is a combination of hydroxypropyl cellulose, monoglycerides, diglycerides, and triethyl citrate.

In some embodiments, the aerosol-generating material is in the form of a laminate and the method comprises:
After (d), the method further includes forming a second layer of the optionally aerated slurry over the layer of the optionally aerated slurry to form a layered composite; and drying the layered composite to form the aerosol-generating material in a laminate form.

In some embodiments, the aerosol-generating material is in the form of a laminate and the method comprises:
forming a second layer of the optionally aerated slurry on the aerosol-generating material after (e) to form a layered composite; and drying the layered composite to form the aerosol-generating material in a laminate form.

This disclosure includes, but is not limited to, the following embodiments:

Embodiment 1: An aerosol-generating material in the form of a sheet having a surface, which may or may not be foamed, comprising:
(i) one or more binders, one or more foam-forming agents, or one or more binders and one or more foam-forming agents;
(ii) a filler;
(iii) an aerosol former material; and (iv) an aerosol-generating material, comprising tobacco material embedded in the sheet or adhered to a surface of the sheet.

Embodiment 2: The aerosol-generating material of embodiment 1, wherein the sheet is foamed and the foamed sheet comprises one or more foam-forming agents.

Embodiment 3: The aerosol generating material of embodiment 2, further comprising about 1 to about 6 weight percent of a foam stabilizer.

Embodiment 4: The aerosol generating material of embodiment 3, wherein the foam stabilizer comprises one or more surfactants or emulsifiers.

Embodiment 5: The aerosol generating material of embodiment 3, wherein the foam stabilizer comprises sodium lauryl sulfate, sorbitan monostearate, sorbitan monooleate, polyoxyethylene sorbitan monostearate, polyethylene glycol sorbitan monooleate, cocamidopropyl betaine, lecithin, or a combination thereof.

Embodiment 6: The aerosol-generating material of any one of embodiments 2 to 5, further comprising a foaming agent.

Embodiment 7: The aerosol generating material of embodiment 6, wherein the effervescent agent comprises: calcium carbonate, sodium carbonate, sodium bicarbonate, or a combination thereof; and citric acid, tartaric acid, acetic acid, aluminum sulfate, or a combination thereof.

Embodiment 8: The aerosol-generating material of any one of embodiments 2 to 7, wherein the aerosol-generating material comprises about 5 to about 35% by weight of a foam-forming agent.

Embodiment 9: The aerosol generating material of any one of embodiments 2 to 8, wherein the foam-forming agent comprises hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC), a gum, a modified starch, maltodextrin, or a combination thereof.

Embodiment 10: The aerosol generating material of any one of embodiments 2 to 9, wherein the foam forming agent comprises HPMC.

Embodiment 11: The aerosol-generating material of embodiment 1, wherein the sheet is not foamed and the aerosol-generating material comprises one or more binders.

Embodiment 12: The aerosol-generating material of any one of embodiments 1 to 11, wherein the one or more binders include carboxymethylcellulose, alginate, natural gum, or combinations thereof.

Embodiment 13: The aerosol-generating material of any one of embodiments 1 to 12, wherein the aerosol-generating material comprises about 10 to about 85 weight percent of a filler.

Embodiment 14: The aerosol-generating material of any one of embodiments 1 to 13, wherein the filler comprises wood pulp, microcrystalline cellulose, or a combination thereof.

Embodiment 15: The aerosol generating material of any one of embodiments 1 to 14, comprising about 20 to about 30% by weight of an aerosol former material.

Embodiment 16: The aerosol generating material of any one of embodiments 1 to 15, wherein the aerosol former material comprises glycerol, propylene glycol, 1,3-propanediol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, tetraethylene glycol, 1,3-butylene glycol, erythritol, meso-erythritol, ethyl vanillate, ethyl laurate, diethyl suberate, triethyl citrate, triacetin, diacetin mixtures, benzyl benzoate, benzyl phenylacetate, tributyrin, lauryl acetate, lauric acid, myristic acid, propylene carbonate, or combinations thereof.

Embodiment 17: The aerosol generating material of any one of embodiments 1 to 16, wherein the aerosol former material is glycerol, propylene glycol, or a combination thereof.

Embodiment 18: The aerosol-generating material of any one of embodiments 1 to 17, wherein the sheet has a density ranging from about 0.02 g/cm ³ to about 0.7 g/cm ³ .

Embodiment 19: The aerosol-generating material has the formula:
Filling value = (bulk volume/weight) x 100
^20. The aerosol-generating material of any one of the preceding embodiments, having a fill value, as determined by:

Embodiment 20: The aerosol-generating material of any one of embodiments 1 to 19, wherein the aerosol-generating material has a porosity of about 100 sec/100 mL or greater, as determined using a Gurley densometer.

Embodiment 21: The aerosol-generating material of any one of embodiments 1 to 20, wherein the tobacco material is granular or fibrous tobacco.

Embodiment 22: The aerosol-generating material of embodiment 21, wherein the fibrous tobacco material has a width in the range of about 1 to about 2 mm and a length of up to about 3 mm.

Embodiment 23: The aerosol-generating material of embodiment 21, wherein the particulate tobacco material is powdered tobacco.

Embodiment 24: The aerosol-generating material of any one of embodiments 1 to 23, wherein the aerosol-generating material is in a laminate form.

Embodiment 25: The aerosol-generating material of any one of embodiments 1 to 23, further comprising a topcoat of a film-forming agent disposed on a surface of the sheet and covering the tobacco material embedded in or adhered to the surface of the sheet.

Embodiment 26: The aerosol generating material of embodiment 25, wherein the film-forming agent is selected from the group consisting of hydroxypropyl cellulose, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, carboxymethyl cellulose, modified starch, maltodextrin, alginate, carrageenan, xanthan, gellan, acacia gum, tragacanth gum, monoglycerides, diglycerides, triethyl citrate, and combinations thereof.

Embodiment 27: An aerosol-generating element comprising the aerosol-generating material of any one of embodiments 1 to 26.

Embodiment 28: The aerosol-generating element of embodiment 27, comprising about 10 to about 100% by weight of the aerosol-generating material.

Embodiment 29: An aerosol-generating element of embodiment 27 or 28, wherein the aerosol-generating material is in the form of a corrugated sheet.

Embodiment 30: An aerosol-generating element of embodiment 27 or 28, wherein the aerosol-generating material is in the form of a shredded sheet.

Embodiment 31: The aerosol-generating element of embodiment 30, wherein the shredded sheet is blended with additional tobacco material having properties different from the tobacco material embedded or adhered to the surface of the sheet.

Embodiment 32: The aerosol-generating element of embodiment 31, wherein the additional tobacco material comprises reconstituted tobacco, tobacco lamina, fine cut tobacco, cut rag tobacco, or a combination thereof.

Embodiment 33: The aerosol generating element of embodiment 29, wherein the corrugated sheet is crimped and gathered into a cylindrical rod, and the aerosol generating element further comprises a wrapping material surrounding the rod.

Embodiment 34: A consumable product for use in a non-flammable aerosol delivery device, comprising an aerosol generating element according to any one of embodiments 27 to 33.

Embodiment 35: A non-flammable aerosol delivery system comprising a consumable of embodiment 33 and a non-flammable aerosol delivery device, the non-flammable aerosol delivery device comprising an aerosol generating device configured to generate an aerosol from the consumable when the consumable is used with the non-flammable aerosol delivery device.

Embodiment 36: A combustible aerosol delivery system comprising the consumable of embodiment 34 and a combustible aerosol delivery device.

Embodiment 37: A method of forming an aerosol-generating material in the form of a sheet having a surface and having tobacco material embedded in the sheet or adhered to the surface, comprising the steps of:
(a)(i) one or more binders, one or more foam-forming agents, or one or more binders and one or more foam-forming agents;
(ii) a filler;
(iii) an aerosol former material; and (iv) providing a slurry comprising a solvent;
(b) optionally aerating the slurry to form an aerated slurry;
(c) forming a layer of the optionally aerated slurry;
(d) depositing tobacco material onto the layer of the optionally aerated slurry; and (e) drying the layer of the optionally aerated slurry having the tobacco material deposited thereon to form an aerosol-generating material.

Embodiment 38: The method of embodiment 37, wherein the sheet is foamed.

Embodiment 39: The method of embodiment 37 or 38, wherein aerating the slurry comprises mixing the slurry under high shear conditions.

Embodiment 40: The method of any one of embodiments 37-39, wherein preparing the slurry comprises mixing the slurry under high shear conditions such that aeration occurs as part of step (a).

Embodiment 41: The method of embodiment 37 or 38, wherein aerating the slurry comprises bubbling a gas through the slurry.

Embodiment 42: The method of embodiment 37 or 38, wherein aerating the slurry comprises adding a foaming agent to the slurry and foaming the foaming agent, thereby introducing gas bubbles into the slurry.

Embodiment 43: The aerosol-generating material is topcoated with a film-forming agent, and the method comprises:
43. The method of any one of embodiments 37-42, further comprising: after (d), disposing a film-forming agent on the slurry and optionally drying the disposed film-forming agent to form a topcoated aerosol-generating material; or after (e), disposing a film-forming agent on the aerosol-generating material and optionally drying the disposed film-forming agent to form a topcoated aerosol-generating material.

Embodiment 44: The method of embodiment 43, wherein the film-forming agent is selected from the group consisting of hydroxypropyl cellulose, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, carboxymethyl cellulose, modified starch, maltodextrin, alginate, carrageenan, xanthan, gellan, acacia gum, tragacanth gum, monoglycerides, diglycerides, triethyl citrate, and combinations thereof.

Embodiment 45: The aerosol-generating material is in the form of a laminate, and the method comprises:
43. The method of any one of embodiments 37-42, further comprising, after (d), forming a second layer of the optionally aerated slurry on the layer of the optionally aerated slurry to form a layered composite; and drying the layered composite to form an aerosol-generating material in laminate form.

Embodiment 46: The aerosol-generating material is in the form of a laminate, and the method comprises:
43. The method of any one of embodiments 37-42, further comprising forming a second layer of the optionally aerated slurry on the aerosol-generating material after (e) to form a layered composite, and drying the layered composite to form the aerosol-generating material in laminate form.

These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present disclosure will become apparent from a reading of the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which are briefly described below. The present invention includes any combination of two, three, four or more of the above-described embodiments, as well as any combination of two, three, four or more features or elements described in this disclosure, regardless of whether such features or elements are expressly combined in a particular embodiment herein. The present disclosure is to be read in its entirety such that it should be seen that any separable features or elements of the disclosed invention are intended to be combinable in any of its various aspects and embodiments, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

Having thus generally described aspects of the present disclosure, reference is now made to the accompanying drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale. The drawings are merely illustrative and should not be construed as limiting the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a diagram of a method of depositing tobacco material and optionally a second sheet layer or topcoat onto a cast sheet slurry according to a non-limiting embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view of a consumable according to a non-limiting embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of an aerosol generating element according to a non-limiting embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of an aerosol generating element according to a non-limiting embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of an aerosol generating element according to a non-limiting embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 illustrates a cross-section of an example consumable according to a non-limiting embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of the article of FIG. 4. FIG. 2 illustrates a cross-sectional elevation view of a consumable according to a non-limiting embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 7 shows a perspective view of the article of FIG. 6. FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a non-flammable aerosol delivery system according to a non-limiting embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 illustrates a cross-section of an example of a non-flammable aerosol delivery system according to a non-limiting embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of an example of a non-flammable aerosol delivery system according to a non-limiting embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 illustrates a cross-sectional view of an example of an aerosol-generating material in laminate form, according to a non-limiting embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 illustrates a cross-sectional view of an example of an aerosol-generating material in the form of a topcoat, in accordance with a non-limiting embodiment of the present disclosure.

The present disclosure will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof. These embodiments are described so that the disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the disclosure to those skilled in the art. Indeed, the disclosure may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that the disclosure will satisfy applicable legal requirements. As used in this specification and claims, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. References to "dry weight percent" or "dry weight basis" refer to weight based on dry ingredients (i.e., all ingredients other than water). References to "wet weight" refer to the weight of the mixture, including water. References to the "weight percent" of a material reflect the total wet weight (i.e., including water) of the material, unless otherwise indicated.

As described below, the present disclosure generally relates to aerosol-generating materials, ingredients, and consumables, and methods of making the same. Flammable and non-flammable aerosol delivery systems including aerosol-generating materials, ingredients, and consumables are further provided. The aerosol-generating elements include aerosol-generating materials. The aerosol-generating materials, ingredients, and consumables described herein are capable of generating an aerosol when, for example, heated, irradiated, or energized in any other manner. The aerosol-generating materials may take the form of, for example, sheets that may or may not contain nicotine.

Aerosol-generating materials are provided herein. The aerosol-generating materials can enhance the sensory (e.g., organoleptic) properties of the aerosol-generating element. In particular, the aerosol generated by the aerosol-generating material when heated, or the smoke generated when the article is smoked, may be particularly smooth. The aerosol-generating material may not exhibit undesirable organoleptic properties when heated or burned. Thus, the material exhibits a smooth, neutral flavor profile when smoked, and does not emit very strong or unpleasant flavors. Without wishing to be bound by theory, it is asserted that this may be due to the aerosol-generating material having a dilution effect on the aerosol or smoke generated.

The aerosol-generating material takes the form of a sheet having a surface and generally includes one or more sheet binders and/or formers, some of which may be a foam-forming agent; a filler; an aerosol-forming material; or tobacco material embedded in the sheet or adhered to the surface of the sheet. Each of the components of the aerosol-generating material is further described herein below.

Binders and Foam-Forming Agents The aerosol-generating material disclosed herein comprises one or more binders or foam-forming agents. In some embodiments, the aerosol-generating material is in the form of a foam sheet and comprises one or more foam-forming agents. According to the present disclosure, it has been found that by including one or more foam-forming agents, air can be incorporated into the aerosol-generating material during the formation of the material. That is, by including one or more foam-forming agents, the aerosol-generating material can be provided in the form of a foam. This results in a reduction in the density of the material compared to when the foam-forming agent is not present. Surprisingly, according to the present disclosure, it has been found that this reduction in density does not adversely affect the sensory experience of the user. Thus, the present disclosure provides an aerosol-generating material with reduced density while maintaining a good sensory experience. The loading value of the aerosol-generating material can be reduced by including one or more foam-forming agents.

The aerosol-generating material may comprise from about 5%, 6%, 7%, 10%, 12% or 15% by weight to about 18%, 20%, 25%, 30% or 35% by weight (all calculated on a dry weight basis) of one or more forming agents. In some embodiments, the aerosol-generating material comprises 5-35%, 5-30%, 6-25%, 7-20% or 12-18% by weight (all calculated on a dry weight basis) of one or more foaming agents. The forming agent generally acts to trap bubbles of gas (e.g., air) when bubbles are formed, for example, by aeration of the slurry.

In some embodiments, the one or more foam-forming agents may include a gum, such as a natural gum. Natural gum, as used herein, refers to a naturally occurring polysaccharide material that has binding properties and is also useful as a thickening or gelling agent. Exemplary natural gums derived from plants that are typically water-soluble to some extent include xanthan gum, guar gum, gum arabic, gum ghatti, gum tragacanth, gum karaya, locust bean gum, gellan gum, and combinations thereof. In some embodiments, the binder includes xanthan gum, guar gum, gum arabic, locust bean gum, gum tragacanth, or combinations thereof. In some embodiments, the one or more foam-forming agents include or are guar gum.

In some embodiments, the one or more foaming agents may include pectin, modified starch (e.g., hydroxylated starch), maltodextrin, or combinations thereof. In some embodiments, the foaming agent is a modified starch. One particularly suitable modified starch emulsifier is available as TEXTRA, available from National Starch and Chemical Company, Bridgewater, NJ.

In some embodiments, the one or more foam formers may include cellulose ethers (including carboxyalkyl ethers), which refers to cellulose polymers in which the hydrogen of one or more hydroxyl groups in the cellulose structure is replaced with an alkyl, hydroxyalkyl, or aryl group. Non-limiting examples of such cellulose derivatives include methylcellulose, hydroxypropylcellulose ("HPC"), hydroxypropylmethylcellulose ("HPMC"), hydroxyethylcellulose, and carboxymethylcellulose ("CMC"). Suitable cellulose ethers include hydroxypropylcellulose, such as Klucel H from Aqualon Co.; hydroxypropylmethylcellulose, such as Methocel K4MS from DuPont; hydroxyethylcellulose, such as Natrosol 250 MRCS from Aqualon Co.; methylcellulose, such as Methocel A4M, K4M, and E15 from DuPont; and sodium carboxymethylcellulose, such as ... In some embodiments, the one or more foaming agents are one or more cellulose ethers (e.g., a single cellulose ether or a combination of several cellulose ethers, such as a combination of two or three). In some embodiments, the one or more foaming agents are cellulose ethers selected from the group consisting of methylcellulose, hydroxypropylcellulose, hydroxypropylmethylcellulose, hydroxyethylcellulose, carboxymethylcellulose, and combinations thereof. In some embodiments, the one or more foaming agents include, consist essentially of, or consist of HPMC.

In some embodiments, the aerosol generating material in the form of a foam sheet includes a foam stabilizer. The foam stabilizer can reduce and even prevent foam collapse after it is formed. In some embodiments, the aerosol generating material includes from about 1%, 1.5%, or 2% to about 6%, 8%, or 10% by weight of the foam stabilizer (all calculated on a dry weight basis). In some embodiments, the aerosol generating material includes from 1-10%, 1.5-9%, or 2-6% by weight of the foam stabilizer (all calculated on a dry weight basis).

The foam stabilizer may include one or more surfactants. In some embodiments, the one or more surfactants are each nonionic, anionic, or amphoteric. In some embodiments, the foam stabilizer includes sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS), Tween 60 (polyethylene glycol sorbitan monostearate), Tween 80 (polysorbate 80), Amphosol CA, Span 60 (sorbitan monostearate), Span 80 (sorbitan monooleate), lecithin, or mixtures thereof.

In accordance with the present disclosure, it has been found that the use of a foam stabilizer can aid in the formation of the foaming material of the present disclosure. In particular, the foam stabilizer can stabilize the air bubbles formed in the slurry and therefore help prevent the air bubbles from collapsing when the slurry is dried. Thus, the use of a foam stabilizer can assist in the formation of the aerosol generating material of the present disclosure.

Surprisingly, it has been discovered by the present disclosure that when certain foam formers are used (e.g., HPMC), a foam stabilizer is not necessary and a stable foam can be formed without the use of a foam stabilizer. Thus, in some embodiments, the use of a foam stabilizer is optional.

In some embodiments, the aerosol-generating material in the form of a foam sheet further comprises a binder.

In some embodiments, the aerosol-generating material is in the form of a non-foaming sheet, the sheet including one or more non-foaming binders. Suitable binders include, but are not limited to, alginates, cellulose derivatives, starches, gums, dextrans, carrageenans, and the like.

In some embodiments, the one or more binders are alginates, such as ammonium alginate, propylene glycol alginate, potassium alginate, and sodium alginate. Alginates, particularly high viscosity alginates, may be used in conjunction with controlled levels of free calcium ions. In some embodiments, the aerosol-generating material comprises about 0 to about 10% alginate by weight, such as about 0%, about 1%, about 2%, about 3%, about 4%, about 5%, about 6%, about 7%, about 8%, about 9%, or about 10% alginate.

In some embodiments, the one or more binders are or include one or more cellulose derivatives (e.g., a single cellulose derivative or a combination of several cellulose derivatives, e.g., a combination of two or three, etc.). In some embodiments, the aerosol-generating material includes from about 0 to about 5% by weight of one or more cellulose derivatives, e.g., about 0%, about 1%, about 2%, about 3%, about 4% or about 5% of one or more cellulose derivatives. In embodiments in which the aerosol-generating material includes multiple cellulose derivatives, it is understood that the reference of about 0% to about 5% by weight of one or more cellulose derivatives reflects the total weight of the combination of cellulose derivatives. In some embodiments, the one or more cellulose derivatives are chemically modified cellulose derivatives. Suitable chemically modified cellulose derivatives include hydroxypropyl cellulose, e.g., Klucel H from Aqualon Co.; hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, e.g., Methocel K4MS from The Dow Chemical Co.; hydroxyethyl cellulose, e.g., hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, e.g., Methocel K4MS from The Dow Chemical Co.; ... microcrystalline cellulose, such as Avicel from FMC; methylcellulose, such as Methocel A4M from The Dow Chemical Co.; and sodium carboxymethylcellulose, such as CMC 7HF and CMC 7H4F from Hercules Inc. In some embodiments, the one or more binders are CMC.

In some embodiments, the one or more binders are starch. In some embodiments, the aerosol-generating material comprises, by weight, about 0 to about 30% starch, about 0 to about 15% starch; or about 20 to about 40% starch. In some embodiments, the aerosol-generating material comprises, for example, about 0%, about 5%, about 10%, about 15%, about 20%, about 25%, about 30%, about 35%, or about 40% starch. Suitable starches include corn starch, rice starch, and modified food starch. In some other embodiments, the binder is rice starch. In some embodiments, the one or more binders are dextran. In some other embodiments, the binder may comprise a cyclodextrin.

In some embodiments, the one or more binders are gums. Suitable gums include xanthan gum, guar gum, gum arabic, locust bean gum, pullulan, and tragacanth gum. In some embodiments, the one or more binders are xanthan gum or pullulan. In some embodiments, the one or more binders are carrageenans.

Filler The aerosol-generating material disclosed herein includes a filler. The amount of filler can vary. In some embodiments, the aerosol-generating material includes from about 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, 50%, or 60% to about 85%, 80%, or 75% by weight of the filler (all calculated on a dry weight basis). In some embodiments, the aerosol-generating material includes from about 10 to about 85%, from about 50 to about 80%, or from about 60 to about 75% by weight of the filler (all calculated on a dry weight basis). Multiple fillers may be used. In such embodiments, it is understood that references to weight percentages of fillers are intended to reflect the total amount of the combination of fillers present in the substrate.

Fillers may include materials such as non-tobacco botanical materials, cellulosic materials, wood fibers or pulp, starches, sugars, sugar alcohols, inorganic substances, inert materials and the like, as well as combinations thereof.

In some embodiments, the filler may comprise one or more inorganic filler materials, such as calcium carbonate, chitosan, perlite, vermiculite, diatomaceous earth, colloidal silica, magnesium oxide, magnesium sulfate, magnesium carbonate, and suitable inorganic sorbents, such as molecular sieves. In some embodiments, the filler may comprise one or more organic filler materials, such as wood pulp, cellulose, and cellulose derivatives. In some embodiments, the filler is fibrous. For example, the filler may be a fibrous organic filler material, such as wood pulp, hemp fiber, cellulose, or a cellulose derivative, such as microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) and/or nanocrystalline cellulose. Without wishing to be bound by theory, it is believed that the inclusion of a fibrous filler in the aerosol-generating material of the present disclosure may increase the tensile strength of the material. This is particularly advantageous in embodiments where the aerosol-generating material is provided as a sheet, such as when a sheet of aerosol-generating material surrounds a rod of an aerosol-generating element.

In some embodiments, microcrystalline cellulose is used as a filler in the aerosol-generating material. In addition to functioning as a filler, the microcrystalline cellulose material used herein can, in certain embodiments, act as a carrier, for example, for flavoring substances. Microcrystalline cellulose has numerous applications, for example, as a conditioner, anticaking agent, fat substitute, emulsifier, bulking agent and swelling agent, as well as an excipient for direct compression, binder, disintegrant, absorbent, filler, diluent, lubricant and anti-adhesive agent. In contrast to other cellulosic materials obtained directly from pulp, microcrystalline cellulose is a refined pulp product. Pulp is a lignocellulosic fibrous material prepared by chemically or mechanically separating cellulose fibers from wood, fiber crops, waste paper or waste textiles, while microcrystalline cellulose is distinguished as refined and partially depolymerized cellulose.

Cellulose is a naturally occurring polymer composed of glucose units connected by 1-4 beta-glycosidic bonds. Linear chains of cellulose are bundled together as microfibrils in the walls of plant cells. Each microfibril defines a crystalline structure that is insoluble in water and resistant to reagents. However, the microfibrils contain amorphous regions with weaker internal bonds. The crystalline structures are isolated to produce microcrystalline cellulose. Microcrystalline cellulose can be produced simply from alpha cellulose (also known as "chemical cellulose"), which is a highly purified, insoluble, relatively high molecular weight cellulose from which sugars, pectins, and other soluble materials have been removed. With respect to other types of cellulose, beta cellulose is defined as a more degraded form of cellulose with fewer crystalline regions. Furthermore, gamma cellulose is defined as a short-chain hemicellulose. Thus, beta cellulose and gamma cellulose are typically removed from the inputs used to produce microcrystalline cellulose.

In the production of microcrystalline cellulose, alpha cellulose can first be shredded and then immersed in a warm bath of mineral acid to dissolve the amorphous regions of the microfibrils while leaving the microcrystalline structure intact. The microcrystalline structure can then be subjected to hydrolysis to break the long polymer chains until the degree of polymerization decreases and levels off at the desired level. Chemicals and impurities can then be removed by washing with water followed by drying. The resulting microcrystalline cellulose can be embedded as a fine white crystallized powder in its raw form. Methods for forming microcrystalline cellulose from plant materials are described, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 9,339,058 to Byrd, Jr. et al. and 10,774,472 to Sebastian et al., both of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties. MCC materials are available from DuPont de Nemours, Inc. It is commercially available from sources such as Asahi Kasei Corporation, Sigachi Industries Limited, Accent Microcell Pvt. Ltd. and DFE Pharma GmbH & Co. KG. The microcrystalline cellulose may be selected from the group consisting of AVICEL® grades PH-100, PH-102, PH-103, PH-105, PH-112, PH-113, PH-200, PH-300, PH-302, VIVACEL® grades 101, 102, 12, 20, and EMOCEL® grades 50M and 90M and the like, and mixtures thereof.

Microcrystalline cellulose is typically used in granular form, and the particles can vary in size. In certain embodiments, the microcrystalline cellulose material is in very fine granular form, such as particles having a D90 particle size of about 250 microns or less, e.g., about 170 microns or less or about 150 microns or less. As used herein, the term "D90 particle size" means that 90% of all particles are smaller than a given size. Particle size can be measured, for example, by laser diffraction or using a particle size analyzer.

In certain embodiments, microcrystalline cellulose materials have a relatively low bulk density compared to other types of cellulose materials, which is advantageous when a material with a higher packing value is desired. Exemplary ranges of bulk density for microcrystalline cellulose materials used in the present disclosure are about 0.50 g/mL or less, e.g., about 0.26 to about 0.35 g/mL, or about 0.26 to about 0.5 g/mL, as determined by measuring the volume of a known mass of powder.

In some embodiments, microcrystalline cellulose may advantageously provide one or more of improved texture, anti-caking, and anti-sticking properties to aerosol-generating materials comprising microcrystalline cellulose, as compared to other cellulose materials.

In some embodiments, the filler comprises additional cellulosic materials, such as cellulosic materials derived from flax, cotton linters, kenaf, hibiscus, hemp, tobacco, sisal, rice straw, or esculenta. Other suitable cellulosic materials include, but are not limited to, cereal grains (e.g., corn, oats, barley, rye, buckwheat, and the like), sugar beet (e.g., FIBREX® brand fillers available from International Fiber Corporation), bran fibers, and mixtures thereof.

In some embodiments, the cellulose material is cellulose pulp or regenerated cellulose that contains at least about 90% cellulose by weight, e.g., about 90%, about 95%, about 99%, or even 100% cellulose. "Regenerated cellulose" refers to natural cellulose that has been converted to a soluble or dissolved cellulose derivative and then regenerated, typically by forming fibers through polymer spinning or through coating polymer casting, precipitation, or extrusion.

In some embodiments, the cellulose material comprises a nanocellulose material. As used herein, "nanocellulose material" refers to a cellulose material having at least one average particle size dimension in the range of about 1 nm to about 100 nm. As non-limiting examples, suitable nanocellulose materials may be fibrous materials prepared from any suitable cellulose-containing material, such as grasses (e.g., bamboo), cotton, tobacco, algae, and other plant-based materials, where the fibers have been further refined to produce nanofibrillated cellulose fibers.

In some embodiments, the filler comprises wood or wood-derived fibers (e.g., wood pulp). In some embodiments, the filler comprises a combination of microcrystalline cellulose and wood pulp. In some embodiments, the filler is a combination of microcrystalline cellulose and wood pulp. In some embodiments, the filler comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of wood pulp.

In some embodiments, the aerosol-generating material comprises about 1%, 5%, 10%, 12% or 13% to about 15%, 17% or 20% by weight of wood pulp (all calculated on a dry weight basis). In some embodiments, the aerosol-generating material comprises about 10-20%, 10-15% or 13-14% by weight of wood pulp (all calculated on a dry weight basis).

In some embodiments, the filler comprises a non-tobacco botanical material. The term "botanical material" or "botanical" as used herein refers to any plant or fungal derived material, including plant material in its natural form and plant material derived from natural plant material, such as extracts or isolates from plant material or processed plant material (e.g., plant material that has been subjected to heat treatment, fermentation, or other treatment processes that can change the chemical properties of the material). For purposes of this disclosure, "botanical material" includes, but is not limited to, "herbal material," which refers to seed-bearing plants that do not permanently develop woody tissue and are often valued for their medical or sensory properties (e.g., tea or herbal teas). Reference to botanical material as "non-tobacco" is intended to exclude tobacco material (i.e., does not include any Nicotiana species). Botanical material as used in this disclosure may include, without limitation, any of the compounds and sources described herein, including mixtures thereof. Certain botanical materials of this type are sometimes called dietary supplements, nutraceuticals, "phytochemicals" or "functional foods."

Non-limiting examples of non-tobacco botanical materials include, but are not limited to, acai berry (Euterpe oleracea martius), acerola (Malpighia glabra), alfalfa, allspice, angelica, anise (e.g., star anise), annatto seed, apple (Malus domestica), apricot oil, bacopa monniera, basil (Ocimum basilicum), bee balm, beetroot, bergamot, blackberry (Morus nigra), and the like. nigra), black cohosh, black pepper, black tea, blueberry, boldo (Peumus boldus), borage, burdock, cacao, calamus root, cam (Myrcaria dubia), cannabis/hemp, caraway seed, catnip, catuaba, cayenne, cayenne pepper, chaga mushroom, chamomile, cherry, chervil, chocolate, cinnamon (Cinnamomum cassia), citron grass (Cymbopogon citratus), clary sage, clove, coconut (Cocos nucifera) nucifera), coffee, comfrey leaves and root, coriander seed, cranberry, dandelion, echinacea, elderberry, elderflower, endo (Anethum graveolens), evening primrose, eucalyptus, fennel, feverfew, garlic, ginger (Zingiber officinale), ginkgo, ginseng, wolfberry, goldenseal, grapeseed, grapefruit, grapefruit rosé (Citrus paradisi), graviola (Annona muricata), green tea, gutkola, hawthorn, hibiscus flower (Hibiscus sabdariffa). sabdriffa), honeybush, gynostemma, kava, jambu (Spilanthes oleracea), jasmine (Jasminum officinale), juniper berry (Juniperus communis), lavender, lemon (Citrus limon), licorice, lilac, Yamabushitake mushroom, maca (Lepidium meyenii), marjoram, milk thistle, mint (menth), oolong tea, orange (Citrus sinensis), sinensis), oregano, papaya, pennyroyal, peppermint (Mentha piperita), potato skins, quince, red clover, rooibos (red or green), rose hips (Rosa canina), rosemary, sage, St. John's wort, salvia (Salvia officinalis), savory, saw palmetto, silybum marianum, slippery elm bark, sorghum bran high tannin, sorghum grain high tannin, spearmint (Mentha spicata), These include: spirulina, sumac bran, thyme, turmeric, uva ursi, valerian, vanilla, wild yam root, wintergreen, withania somnifera, yacon root, yellow dock, yerba mate, and yerba santa.

In some embodiments, the filler comprises starch, including native and modified starches. Certain starch materials may be included in the substrate as binders or other functional additives. As used herein, "starch" may refer to pure starch from any source, modified starch, or starch derivatives. Starch is typically present in granular form, almost entirely in green plants and in various types of plant tissues and organs (e.g., seeds, leaves, rhizomes, roots, tubers, sprouts, fruits, grains, and stems). Starch can vary in composition and in granular shape and size. Often, starches from different sources have different chemical and physical characteristics. A particular starch can be selected for inclusion in the beads based on the ability of the starch material to impart certain sensory properties to the beads. Starches from a variety of sources can be used. For example, major sources of starch include cereal grains (e.g., rice, wheat, and corn) and root vegetables (e.g., potato and cassava). Other examples of starch sources include acorns, arrowroot, arracacha, bananas, barley, legumes (e.g., broad beans, lentils, mung beans, peas, chickpeas), breadfruit, buckwheat, canna, chestnut, taro, dogtooth violet, kudzu, yams, millet, oats, oka, yam, sago, sorghum, sweet potato, quinoa, rye, tapioca, taro, tobacco, water chestnut, and yams. Suitable starches include, but are not limited to, corn starch, rice starch, tapioca starch, and modified food starches. Certain starches are modified starches. Modified starches have undergone one or more structural modifications, often designed to alter their high thermal properties. Some starches have been developed by genetic modification and are considered to be "modified" starches. Other starches are obtained and subsequently modified. For example, modified starches can be starches that have been subjected to chemical reactions such as esterification, etherification, oxidation, acid-catalyzed depolymerization (thinning) or oxidation in the presence of a base, bleaching, transglycosylation and depolymerization (e.g., dextrinization in the presence of a catalyst), crosslinking, enzyme treatment, acetylation, hydroxypropylation, and/or partial hydrolysis. Other starches are modified by heat treatments such as pregelatinization, dextrinization, and/or cold water swelling processes. Certain modified starches include monostarch phosphate, distarch glycerol, distarch phosphate esterified with sodium trimetaphosphate, distarch phosphate phosphate, acetylated distarch phosphate, starch acetate esterified with acetic anhydride, starch acetate esterified with vinyl acetate, acetylated distarch adipate, acetylated distarch glycerol, hydroxypropyl starch, hydroxypropyl distarch glycerol, and sodium starch octenylsuccinate.

In some embodiments, the filler comprises a sugar. Suitable sugars include, but are not limited to, glucose, dextrose, fructose, maltose, and lactose.

In some embodiments, the filler comprises a sugar alcohol. Suitable sugar alcohols include, but are not limited to, sorbitol, mannitol, isomalt, maltitol, erythritol, and xylitol.

In some embodiments, the filler comprises inorganic or inert materials such as, but not limited to, chitosan, carbon (graphite, diamond, fullerene, graphene), quartz, granite, diatomaceous earth, calcium carbonate, calcium phosphate, clay, shells of crustaceans and other marine organisms, or combinations thereof. In some embodiments, the substrate material may comprise various types of inorganic fibers (e.g., fiberglass, metal wire/screen, etc.) and/or (organic) synthetic polymers. In some embodiments, these "fibrous" materials may be unstructured (e.g., randomly distributed like cellulose fibers in tobacco casting sheets) or structured (e.g., wire mesh).

Aerosol-Forming Agent Materials The aerosol-generating materials disclosed herein include aerosol-forming agent materials, which may also be referred to as humectants. Suitable aerosol-forming agent materials include, but are not limited to, water, polyhydric alcohols, polysorbates, sorbitan esters, fatty acids, fatty acid esters, waxes, terpenes, sugar alcohols, tobacco extracts, and combinations thereof. In some embodiments, the aerosol-forming agent materials may include water, polyhydric alcohols, polysorbates, sorbitan esters, fatty acids, fatty acid esters, waxes, terpenes, sugar alcohols, tobacco extracts, or any combinations thereof. Each of the polyhydric alcohols, polysorbates, sorbitan esters, fatty acids, fatty acid esters, waxes, terpenes, and sugar alcohols is further described herein below.

The amount of aerosol former material present in the aerosol-generating material may vary. For example, in certain embodiments, a sufficient amount of aerosol former material is used to produce a visible mainstream aerosol generation that resembles in many ways the appearance of tobacco smoke. The amount of aerosol former material present may depend on factors such as the number of puffs desired per aerosol-generating element. Generally, the aerosol-generating material includes a relatively large weight percentage of aerosol former material (e.g., one or more polyhydric alcohols, such as glycerol) that allows for the generation of an aerosol from the aerosol-generating material when heated.

In some embodiments, the aerosol-generating material comprises an aerosol former material in an amount of at least about 1 wt%, at least about 10 wt%, at least about 15 wt%, at least about 20 wt%, at least about 25 wt%, at least about 30 wt%, at least about 35 wt%, at least about 40 wt%, at least about 45 wt%, at least about 50 wt%, at least about 55 wt%, or at least about 60 wt%, based on the total wet weight of the substrate. Exemplary ranges of the total aerosol former material include from about 15% to about 60 wt%, e.g., from about 15% to about 55%, or from about 15% to about 25%, based on the total wet weight of the aerosol-generating material.

In some embodiments, the aerosol-generating material comprises from about 1%, 5%, 10%, 12% or 13% to about 18%, 20%, 25%, 30%, 35%, 45%, 55%, 65%, 75% or 80% by weight of the aerosol former material (all calculated on a dry weight basis). In some embodiments, the aerosol-generating material comprises from about 1-80%, 1-50%, 5-35%, 10-25%, 12-20% or 13-18% by weight of the aerosol former material (all calculated on a dry weight basis).

In some embodiments, the aerosol former material includes one or more polyhydric alcohols. Examples of polyhydric alcohols include glycerol, propylene glycol, and other glycols, such as 1,3-propanediol, diethylene glycol, and triethylene glycol. In some embodiments, the polyhydric alcohol is selected from the group consisting of glycerol, propylene glycol, 1,3-propanediol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, triacetin, and combinations thereof.

In some embodiments, the polyhydric alcohol is a mixture of glycerol and propylene glycol. The glycerol and propylene glycol may be present in various ratios, with either component being the major component depending on the intended application. In some embodiments, the glycerol and propylene glycol are present in a weight ratio of about 3:1 to about 1:3. In some embodiments, the glycerol and propylene glycol are present in a weight ratio of about 3:1, about 2:1, about 1:1, about 1:2, or about 1:3. In some embodiments, the glycerol and propylene glycol are present in a weight ratio of about 1:1.

In some embodiments, the aerosol former material comprises one or more polysorbates. Examples of polysorbates include polysorbate 60 (polyoxyethylene (20) sorbitan monostearate, Tween 60) and polysorbate 80 (polyoxyethylene (20) sorbitan monooleate, Tween 80). The type of polysorbate used or the combination of polysorbates used will depend on the intended desired effect, as different polysorbates provide different attributes due to molecular size. For example, polysorbate molecules increase in size from polysorbate 20 to polysorbate 80. Using smaller sized polysorbate molecules creates a smaller amount of vapor but allows for deeper lung penetration. This may be desirable when the user is in a public place and does not want to create a large plume of "smoke" (i.e., vapor). Conversely, larger polysorbate molecules may be used if a dense vapor capable of transmitting tobacco aroma components is desired. An added benefit of using the polysorbate family of compounds is that polysorbates reduce the heat of vaporization of the mixture in which they are present.

In some embodiments, the aerosol former material comprises one or more sorbitan esters. Examples of sorbitan esters include sorbitan monolaurate, sorbitan monostearate (Span 60), sorbitan monooleate (Span 20), and sorbitan tristearate (Span 65).

In some embodiments, the aerosol former material comprises one or more fatty acids. The fatty acids may comprise short chain, long chain, saturated, unsaturated, straight chain or branched chain carboxylic acids. The fatty acids generally comprise _C4 to _C28 aliphatic carboxylic acids. Non-limiting examples of short or long chain fatty acids include butyric acid, propionic acid, valeric acid, oleic acid, linoleic acid, stearic acid, myristic acid and palmitic acid.

In some embodiments, the aerosol former material includes one or more fatty acid esters. Examples of fatty acid esters include alkyl esters, monoglycerides, diglycerides, and triglycerides. Examples of monoglycerides include monolaurin and glycerol monostearate. Examples of triglycerides include triolein, tripalmitin, tristearate, glycerol tributyrate, and glycerol trihexanoate.

In some embodiments, the aerosol former material comprises one or more waxes. Examples of waxes include carnauba, beeswax, and candelilla, which are known to stabilize aerosol particles, improve palatability, or reduce throat irritation.

In some embodiments, the aerosol former material comprises one or more terpenes. As used herein, the term "terpene" refers to a hydrocarbon compound produced by plants biosynthetically from isopentenyl pyrophosphate. Non-limiting examples of terpenes include limonene, pinene, farnesene, myrcene, geraniol, fennel, and cembrene.

In some embodiments, the aerosol former material includes one or more sugar alcohols. Examples of sugar alcohols include sorbitol, erythritol, mannitol, maltitol, isomalt, and xylitol. Sugar alcohols may act as flavor enhancers for certain flavor compounds, such as menthol and other volatiles, and generally improve the mouthfeel, texture, throat impact, and other sensory properties of the resulting aerosol.

In some embodiments, the aerosol former material comprises glycerol, propylene glycol, 1,3-propanediol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, tetraethylene glycol, 1,3-butylene glycol, erythritol, meso-erythritol, ethyl vanillate, ethyl laurate, diethyl suberate, triethyl citrate, triacetin, diacetin mixtures, benzyl benzoate, benzyl phenyl acetate, tributyrin, lauryl acetate, lauric acid, myristic acid, propylene carbonate, or any combination thereof. In some embodiments, the aerosol former material comprises, consists essentially of, or consists of glycerol.

Foaming Agent In some embodiments, the aerosol-generating material includes a foaming agent. In accordance with the present disclosure, in some embodiments, it has been found that the use of a foaming agent means that the slurry does not require high speed mixing to aerate the slurry. This is particularly useful when a continuous process is used to form the aerosol-generating material.

In some embodiments, the aerosol-generating material comprises from about 1%, 2%, or 4% to about 7%, 8%, or 10% by weight of the blowing agent (all calculated on a dry weight basis). In some embodiments, the aerosol-generating material comprises from 1-10%, 2-8%, or 4-7% by weight of the blowing agent (all calculated on a dry weight basis).

The effervescent agent may include calcium carbonate, sodium carbonate, sodium bicarbonate, citric acid, tartaric acid, lactic acid, acetic acid, aluminum sulfate, or mixtures thereof. To generate effervescence, a carbonate or bicarbonate salt and an acid are generally combined, resulting in the liberation of gaseous carbon dioxide that serves to aerate the aerosol-generating material during its preparation. In some embodiments, the effervescent agent includes calcium carbonate, sodium carbonate, sodium bicarbonate, or combinations thereof; and citric acid, tartaric acid, acetic acid, aluminum sulfate, or combinations thereof. One skilled in the art will appreciate that after reaction of the carbonate and acid components, the aerosol-generating material may contain little or no of the original effervescent agent(s), which have reacted to form and release carbon dioxide.

Water The moisture (e.g., water) content of the aerosol-generating material may vary. For example, in some embodiments, the aerosol-generating material comprises from about 0% to about 30% water. In some embodiments, the aerosol-generating material is dried to remove at least a portion of the water present during preparation. In some embodiments, after drying, the aerosol-generating material comprises from about 3 to about 21% water based on the total weight of the substrate. In some embodiments, after drying, the aerosol-generating material comprises from about 8 to about 10 or from about 12 to about 18% water based on the total weight of the aerosol-generating material. In some embodiments, after drying, the aerosol-generating material comprises from about 15 to about 21% water based on the total weight of the aerosol-generating material. The moisture content of the aerosol-generating material is determined, for example, by Karl Fischer titration or gas chromatography/thermal conductivity detector (GC-TCD).

Tobacco Material The aerosol-generating material includes tobacco material. The tobacco material may be embedded in the sheet forming the aerosol-generating material or may be adhered to a surface of the sheet forming the aerosol-generating material. This "top-loading" of tobacco material into the cast foam sheet provides a three-dimensional network of the cast sheet and tobacco material, adding depth and void volume to the sheet. The top-loaded tobacco material may be uniformly or randomly distributed on or within the sheet. For example, the tobacco material may be top-loaded in bands or other regular or irregular patterns on or within the sheet, or this top-loaded tobacco deposit may preserve and/or improve the loading capacity of the sheet while adding tobacco properties to the aerosol-generating material. This is in contrast to aerosol-generating materials prepared by mixing milled tobacco directly into a foam slurry, which has been found by the present disclosure to adversely affect loading capacity. Further, without wishing to be bound by theory, it is believed that the addition of tobacco material onto/into the cast sheet may deliver even better tobacco characteristics during the smoking action due to the enhanced flavor provided by the tobacco leaf in direct contact with the high concentration of aerosol forming agent in the cast sheet.

The tobacco material may include one or more of ground tobacco, tobacco fiber, cut tobacco, extruded tobacco, or tobacco stems. In some embodiments, the tobacco material includes tobacco particle "fines" or dust, expanded tobacco, stems, expanded stems, and other processed stem materials, such as cut rolled stems. In some embodiments, the tobacco material includes ground tobacco. In some embodiments, the tobacco material includes or consists of laminar tobacco (such as cut rag tobacco). In some embodiments, the tobacco material is fine cut (e.g., cut into thin strips). In some embodiments, the tobacco material is granular or fibrous tobacco. In certain embodiments, the tobacco material is a fibrous tobacco material having a width in the range of about 1 to about 2 mm, and a length of up to about 3 mm. Such tobacco materials may be referred to as "shorts" and typically include cut lamina. In other embodiments, the tobacco material is powdered tobacco.

Tobacco materials can vary in species, type, and form. Typically, tobacco materials are obtained from harvested plants of the Nicotiana species. Exemplary Nicotiana species include N. tabacum, N. rustica, N. alata, N. arentsii, N. excelsior, N. forgetiana, N. glauca, N. glutinosa, N. gossei, N. kawakamii, N. spp. ... N. knightiana, N. langsdorffi, N. otophora, N. setchelli, N. sylvestris, N. tomentosa, N. tomentosiformis, N. undulata, N. x sanderae, N. africana, N. amplexicaulis, N. benavidesii, N. N. bonariensis, N. debneyi, N. longiflora, N. maritina, N. megalosiphon, N. occidentalis, N. paniculata, N. plumbaginifolia, N. raimondii, N. rosulata, N. simulans, N. stocktonii, N. N. suaveolens, N. umbratica, N. velutina, N. wigandioides, N. acaulis, N. acuminata, N. attenuata, N. benthamiana, N. cavicola, N. clevlandii, N. cordifolia, N. corymbosa, N. fragrans, N. N. goodspeedii, N. linearis, N. miersii, N. nudicaulis, N. obtusifolia, N. occidentalis subsp. hersperis, N. pauciflora, N. petunioides, N. quadrivalvis, N. repanda, N. rotundifolia, N. Examples of representative types of plants from the Nicotiana species include N. solanifolia and N. spegazzinii. Various representative types of plants from the Nicotiana species are described in Goodspeed, The Genus Nicotiana, (Chonica Botanica) (1954); U.S. Patent No. 4,660,577 to Sensabaugh, Jr. et al.; U.S. Patent No. 5,387,416 to White et al.; U.S. Patent No. 7,025,066 to Lawson et al.; U.S. Patent No. 7,798,153 to Lawrence, Jr. and U.S. Patent No. 8,186,360 to Marshall et al., each of which is incorporated herein by reference. Details of various types of tobacco, growing practices, and harvesting practices are set forth in Tobacco Production, Chemistry and Technology, Davis et al. (eds.) (1999), which is incorporated herein by reference.

Nicotiana species from which suitable tobacco material can be obtained can be derived using genetic modification or breeding techniques (e.g., tobacco plants can be genetically engineered or bred to increase or decrease the production, characteristics or attributes of a component). See, for example, the types of genetic modifications of plants described in U.S. Patent Nos. 5,539,093 to Fitzmaurice et al., 5,668,295 to Wahab et al., 5,705,624 to Fitzmaurice et al., 5,844,119 to Weigl, 6,730,832 to Dominguez et al., 7,173,170 to Liu et al., 7,208,659 to Colliver et al. and 7,230,160 to Benning et al., U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2006/0236434 to Conkling et al., and PCT WO 2008/103935 to Nielsen et al., each of which is incorporated herein by reference. See also the types of cigarettes described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,660,577 to White et al.; 5,387,416 to White et al.; and 6,730,832 to Dominguez et al.

Nicotiana species, in some embodiments, can be selected for the content of various compounds present therein. For example, plants can be selected based on the fact that they produce relatively large amounts of one or more compounds that are desired to be isolated therefrom. In certain embodiments, Nicotiana species plants (e.g., Galpao commun tobacco) are particularly thriving due to their abundance of compounds on the leaf surface. Tobacco plants can be grown outdoors in greenhouses, growth chambers, or fields, or can be grown hydroponically.

Various parts or portions of the Nicotiana species plant can be included in the aerosol-generating materials disclosed herein. For example, virtually all of the plant (e.g., the whole plant) can be harvested and used as is. Alternatively, various parts or pieces of the plant can be harvested or separated for further use after harvesting. For example, flowers, leaves, stems, stalks, roots, seeds, and various combinations thereof can be isolated for further use or processing. In some embodiments, the tobacco material comprises tobacco leaves (lamina). The aerosol-generating materials disclosed herein can include cured and aged tobacco that is a processed tobacco part or piece, essentially in the form of a natural lamina and/or stem. In certain embodiments, the tobacco material comprises a solid tobacco material selected from the group consisting of lamina and stem. The tobacco used in the aerosol-generating material most preferably comprises tobacco lamina, or a mixture of tobacco lamina and stem, at least a portion of which is smoked. The tobacco portion may have a processed form, such as processed tobacco stems (e.g., cut-rolled stems, cut-rolled expanded stems, or cut-puffed stems) or volume-expanded tobacco (e.g., puffed tobacco, such as dry ice expanded tobacco (DIET)). See, for example, the tobacco expansion processes described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,340,073 to de la Burde et al.; 5,259,403 to Guy et al.; and 5,908,032 to Poindexter et al.; and 7,556,047 to Poindexter et al., all of which are incorporated by reference. Additionally, the aerosol-generating material may incorporate fermented tobacco. See also the types of tobacco processing techniques described in PCT WO 2005/063060 to Atchley et al., which is incorporated by reference herein.

The manner in which the tobacco material is provided in a pulverized or powder-type form may vary. Preferably, the plant parts or pieces are milled, ground, crushed, or pulverized into a fine particle form using crushing, milling, or similar equipment and techniques. The plant or its parts may be subjected to an external force or pressure (e.g., by pressing or by rolling). When performing such processing conditions, the plant or its parts may have a moisture content that approximates its natural moisture content (e.g., the moisture content is that immediately after harvest), a moisture content achieved by adding moisture to the plant or its parts, or a moisture content obtained from drying the plant or its parts. For example, the powdered, pulverized, crushed, pulped, or milled pieces of the plant or its parts may have a moisture content of less than about 25 weight percent, often less than about 20 weight percent, and frequently less than about 15 weight percent. Most preferably, the plant material is relatively dry in its form during grinding or milling using equipment such as a hammer mill, cutter head, air controlled mill, or the like. For example, tobacco parts or pieces may be ground or milled when their moisture content is less than about 15 percent by weight, or less than about 5 percent by weight.

In preparing the aerosol-generating material, harvested Nicotiana species plants are typically subjected to a curing process. The tobacco materials incorporated into the aerosol-generating materials disclosed herein are generally appropriately cured and/or aged. Details of the various types of curing processes for various types of tobacco are described in Tobacco Production, Chemistry and Technology, Davis et al. (eds.) (1999). Examples of techniques and conditions for curing flue-cured tobacco are described in Nestor et al., Beitrage Tabakforsch. Int., 20, 467-475 (2003) and U.S. Patent No. 6,895,974 to Peele, which are incorporated herein by reference. Representative techniques and conditions for air curing tobacco are described in U.S. Patent No. 7,650,892 to Groves et al.; Roton et al., Beitrage Tabakforsch. Int., 21, 305-320 (2005), and Staaf et al., Beitrage Tabakforsch. Int., 21, 321-330 (2005), which are incorporated herein by reference. Certain types of tobacco can be subjected to alternative types of curing processes, such as bake curing or sun curing.

In certain embodiments, tobacco materials that can be used include flue-cured or Virginia (e.g., K326), burley, sun-cured (e.g., Indian Kurnool and Oriental tobaccos, including Katerini, Prelip, Komotini, Xanthi, and Yambol tobaccos), Maryland, dark, dark-fired, dark air cured (e.g., Madole, Passanda, Cubano, Jatin, and Bezuki tobaccos), light air cured (e.g., North Wisconsin and Galpao tobaccos), Indian air cured (e.g., Indian air cured), and other tobaccos. cured), Red Russian, and Rustica tobaccos, as well as a variety of other rare or specialty tobaccos, and various blends of any of the aforementioned tobaccos.

The tobacco material may have a so-called "blend" form. For example, the tobacco material may include a mixture of parts or pieces of flurcured, burley (e.g., Malawi burley tobacco) and oriental tobacco (e.g., tobacco composed of or derived from tobacco lamina, or a mixture of tobacco lamina and tobacco stems). For example, a representative blend may incorporate about 30 to about 70 parts burley tobacco (e.g., lamina, or lamina and stem) and about 30 to about 70 parts flurcured tobacco (e.g., stem, lamina, or lamina and stem) on a dry weight basis. Other exemplary tobacco blends incorporate about 75 parts flurcured tobacco, about 15 parts burley tobacco, and about 10 parts oriental tobacco; or about 65 parts flurcured tobacco, about 25 parts burley tobacco, and about 10 parts oriental tobacco; or about 65 parts flurcured tobacco, about 10 parts burley tobacco, and about 25 parts oriental tobacco on a dry weight basis. Other exemplary tobacco blends incorporate, on a dry weight basis, from about 20 to about 30 parts Oriental tobacco and from about 70 to about 80 parts Flucured tobacco.

The tobacco material used in the present disclosure may be subjected to, for example, fermentation, bleaching, and the like. If desired, the tobacco material may be subjected to, for example, irradiated, sterilized, or otherwise controlled heat treatment. Such treatment processes are detailed, for example, in U.S. Patent No. 8,061,362 to Mua et al., which is incorporated herein by reference. In certain embodiments, the tobacco material may be treated with water and an additive capable of inhibiting the reaction of asparagine to form acrylamide upon heating of the tobacco material (e.g., an additive selected from the group consisting of lysine, glycine, histidine, alanine, methionine, cysteine, glutamic acid, aspartic acid, proline, phenylalanine, valine, arginine, compositions incorporating divalent and trivalent cations, asparaginase, certain non-reducing sugars, certain reducing agents, phenolic compounds, certain compounds having at least one free thiol group or functional group, oxidizing agents, oxidation catalysts, natural plant extracts (e.g., rosemary extract), and combinations thereof). See, for example, the types of treatment processes described in U.S. Patent Publication Nos. 8,434,496, 8,944,072, and 8,991,403 to Chen et al., all of which are incorporated herein by reference. In certain embodiments, this type of treatment is useful when the original tobacco material is subjected to heating in the aforementioned processes.

In some embodiments, the type of tobacco material is initially selected to be visually lighter in color (e.g., whitened or bleached) to some degree than other tobacco materials. Tobacco pulp can be whitened in certain embodiments according to any means known in the art. For example, bleached tobacco material produced by various whitening methods using various bleaching or oxidizing agents and oxidation catalysts can be used. Exemplary oxidizing agents include peroxides (e.g., hydrogen peroxide), chlorites, chlorates, perchlorates, hypochlorites, ozone, ammonia, potassium permanganate, and combinations thereof. Exemplary oxidation catalysts are titanium dioxide, manganese dioxide, and combinations thereof. Processes for treating tobacco with bleaching agents are described in, for example, Daniels, Jr., "Bleaching Agents for Tobacco Pulp," Vol. 1, No. 1, pp. 111-115, 2002, incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. U.S. Patents 787,611 to Oelenheinz; 1,086,306 to Delling; 1,437,095 to Rosenhoch; 1,757,477 to Hawkinson; 2,122,421 to Baier; 2,148,147 to Baier; 2,170,107 to Baier; 2,274,649 to Baier; 2,770,239 to Prats et al.; 3,612,065 to Rosen; No. 3,851,653 to Rosen; No. 3,889,689 to Minami; No. 3,943,940 to Rosen; No. 3,943,945 to Rainer; No. 4,143,666 to Rainer; No. 4,194,514 to Campbell; Nos. 4,366,823, 4,366,824, and 4,388,933 to Rainer et al.; No. 4,641,667 to Schmekel et al.; No. 5,713,376 to Berger; No. 9,339,058 to Byrd Jr. et al.; No. 9,420,825 to Beeson et al.; and No. 9,420,825 to Byrd Jr. No. 9,950,858 to Bjorkholm et al.; and U.S. Patent Application Publication Nos. 2012/0067361 to Bjorkholm et al.; 2016/0073686 to Crooks; 2017/0020183 to Bjorkholm; and 2017/0112183 to Bjorkholm; and PCT Published Application Nos. WO 1996/031255 to Giolvas, and WO 2018/083114 to Bjorkholm.

In some embodiments, the whitened tobacco material can have an ISO brightness of at least about 50%, at least about 60%, at least about 65%, at least about 70%, at least about 75%, or at least about 80%. In some embodiments, the whitened tobacco material can have an ISO brightness in the range of about 50% to about 90%, about 55% to about 75%, or about 60% to about 70%. ISO brightness can be measured according to ISO 3688:1999 or ISO 2470-1:2016.

In some embodiments, the whitened tobacco material may be characterized as lighter in color (e.g., "whitened") compared to untreated tobacco material. White is often defined with reference to the Commission Internationale de l'Eclairage (CIE) chromaticity diagram. The whitened tobacco material, in certain embodiments, may be characterized as closer to pure white on the chromaticity diagram than untreated tobacco material.

The tobacco material may be processed to remove at least a portion of the nicotine present. Suitable methods for extracting nicotine from tobacco materials are known in the art. In some embodiments, the tobacco material is substantially free of nicotine. By "substantially free" it is meant that only trace amounts are present in the tobacco material. For example, in certain embodiments, the tobacco material may be characterized as having less than 0.001% nicotine by weight, or less than 0.0001% or even less than 0% nicotine by weight, calculated as the free base and based on the total weight of the tobacco material.

Active Ingredients In some embodiments, the aerosol-generating material comprises one or more active ingredients. As used herein, "active ingredient" refers to one or more substances that belong to any of the following categories: API (active pharmaceutical ingredient), food additive, natural drug, and naturally occurring substances that can exert an effect on humans. Exemplary active ingredients include any ingredient that is known to affect one or more biological functions in the body, or that affects the structure or any function of the human body (e.g., providing a stimulating effect on the central nervous system, an energizing effect, an antipyretic or analgesic effect, or any other beneficial effect on the body), such as ingredients that have pharmacological activity or other direct effects in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease. In some embodiments, the active ingredient may be of the type commonly referred to as a dietary supplement, nutraceutical, "phytochemical" or "functional food". These types of additives are sometimes defined in the art to include substances typically available from naturally occurring sources (e.g., botanical materials) that provide one or more beneficial biological effects (e.g., health-promoting, disease-preventing, or other medicinal properties) but that are not isolated or regulated as drugs.

Non-limiting examples of active ingredients include those in the categories of synthetic organic compounds, proteins and peptides, polysaccharides and other sugars, lipids, inorganic compounds, and nucleic acid sequences that have therapeutic, prophylactic, or diagnostic activity. Non-limiting examples of active ingredients include those in the categories of botanical ingredients, stimulants (e.g., caffeine and guarana), amino acids (e.g., taurine, theanine, phenylalanine, tyrosine, and tryptophan), and/or pharmaceutical, nutritional, and medicinal ingredients (e.g., vitamins such as B6, B12, and C, and/or cannabinoids, such as tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD)), antioxidants, and nicotine ingredients. The specific choice of active ingredient will vary depending on the desired flavor, texture, and desired characteristics of the particular product.

The particular percentage of active ingredient present will vary depending on the desired characteristics of the particular product. Typically, the active ingredient or combination thereof is present at a total concentration of at least about 0.001% by weight of the aerosol-generating material, such as in the range of about 0.001% to about 20%. In some embodiments, the active ingredient or combination of active ingredients is present at a concentration of about 0.1% w/w to about 10% by weight, such as about 0.5% w/w to about 10%, about 1% to about 10%, about 1% to about 5% by weight, etc., based on the total weight of the aerosol-generating material. In some embodiments, the active ingredient or combination of active ingredients may be present in an amount of from about 0.001%, about 0.01%, about 0.1% or about 1% up to about 20% by weight, based on the total weight of the aerosol-generating material, for example about 0.001%, about 0.002%, about 0.003%, about 0.004%, about 0.005%, about 0.006%, about 0.007%, about 0.008%, about 0.009%, about 0.01%, about 0.02%, about 0.03%, about 0.04%, about 0.05%, about 0.06%, about 0.07%, about 0.08%, about 0.009%, about 0.01%, about 0.02%, about 0.03%, about 0.04%, about 0.05%, about 0.08%, about 0.09%, about 0.01%, about 0.02%, about 0.03%, about 0.04%, about 0.05%, about 0.06%, about 0.07%, about 0.08%, about 0.09%, about 0.01%, about 0.02%, about 0.03%, about 0.04%, about 0.05%, about 0.08%, about 0.09%, about 0.01%, about 0.02%, about 0.03%, about 0.04%, about 0.05%, about 0.06 ... %, about 0.06%, about 0.07%, about 0.08%, about 0.09%, about 0.1%, about 0.2%, about 0.3%, about 0.4%, about 0.5%, about 0.6%, about 0.7%, about 0.8%, or about 0.9% to about 1%, about 2%, about 3%, about 4%, about 5%, about 6%, about 7%, about 8%, about 9%, about 10%, about 11%, about 12%, about 13%, about 14%, about 15%, about 16%, about 17%, about 18%, about 19%, or about 20% by weight. Further suitable ranges for specific active ingredients are provided herein below.

In some embodiments, the active ingredient comprises one or more non-tobacco botanicals. The term "botanical ingredient" or "botanical" as used herein refers to any plant or fungal derived material, including plant material in its natural form (e.g., leaves, bark, fiber, stems, roots, seeds, flowers, fruits, pollen, coverings, husks, and the like), and plant material derived from a natural plant, such as an extract or isolate from the plant material, or processed plant material (e.g., plant material that has been subjected to heat treatment, fermentation, or other treatment processes that can change the chemical properties of the material).

For purposes of this disclosure, "botanical materials" includes, but is not limited to, "herbal materials" (e.g., tea or herbal teas), which refer to seed-bearing plants that do not produce permanent woody tissue and are often valued for their medical or sensory properties. The materials may take the form of liquids, gases, solids, powders, dusts, crushed particles, granules, pellets, strips, strips, sheets, or the like. References to botanical materials as "non-tobacco" are intended to exclude tobacco materials (i.e., not including any Nicotiana species). The botanical materials used in the aerosol-generating materials of the present invention may include, but are not limited to, any of the compounds and sources described herein, including mixtures thereof. Certain botanical materials of this type are sometimes referred to as dietary supplements, nutraceuticals, "phytochemicals," or "functional foods."

Non-limiting examples of botanical materials, many of which are associated with antioxidant properties, include, but are not limited to, acai berry, alfalfa, allspice, aniseed, annatto seed, apricot oil, ashwagandha, bacopa monniera, baobab, basil, bay, bee balm, beetroot, bergamot, black pepper, black tea, blueberry, borage seed oil, burdock, cacao, calamus root, cardamom, black currant, catnip, catuaba, cayenne pepper, Centella asiatica, and others. asiatica), chaga mushroom, chaif, chamomile, cherry blossom, chervil, chives, chlorophyll, dark chocolate, cilantro, cinnamon, citrus, cloves, cocoa, coffee, comfrey leaves and root, black cohosh, cordyceps, coriander, cranberry, cumin, curcumin, damiana, dandelion, Dorstenia arifolia, Dorstenia odorata, echinacea, elderflower, eucalyptus, fennel, feverfew, flax, Galphimia glauca, garlic, geranium, ginger, ginkgo, ginseng (e.g., Panax ginseng), ginseng), goji berries, hydrastis, grapeseed, green tea, grapefruit, Griffonia simplicifolia, guarana, guttukola, hawthorn, hazel, hemp, hibiscus flower, honeybush, hops, jasmine, gynostemma, juniper, Kaempferia parviflora (ginseng), birch, bay laurel, lavender, lemon, lemon balm, lemongrass, licorice, Yamabushitake mushroom, lutein, maca, mace, marjoram, matcha, mulberry fruit, Nardostachys chinensis chinensis), marjoram, milk thistle, mint (mantle), myrtle, nutmeg, olive, oolong tea, orange, oregano, papaya, paprika, pennyroyal, peppermint, pimento, potato skin, primrose, quercetin, red clover, resveratrol, Rhizoma gastrodiae, Rhodiola, rooibos, rooibos (red or green), rose essential oil, rose hips, rosemary, saffron, sage, clary sage, sandalwood, savory, saw palmetto, Sceletium tortuousum, Schisandra chinensis, Silybum marianamum marianum), skullcap, spearmint, pepper, spirulina, slippery elm bark, sorghum bran high tannin, sorghum grain high tannin, St. John's wort, star anise, sumac bran, tarragon, terpenes, thyme, tisane, turmeric, Turnera aphrodisiaca, uva ursi, valerian, vanilla, Viola odorata, white mulberry, wild yam root, wintergreen, withania somnifera, yacon root, yellow dock, yerba mate, and yerba santa.

In some embodiments, the active ingredient comprises or is derived from one or more botanicals or components, derivatives or extracts thereof. In some embodiments, the botanical is selected from eucalyptus, star anise, cocoa, hemp, rooibos, fennel and combinations thereof. When present, the botanical active ingredient is typically in a concentration of about 0.01% w/w to about 10% by weight, such as about 0.01% w/w, about 0.05%, about 0.1% or about 0.5% to about 1%, about 2%, about 3%, about 4%, about 5%, about 6%, about 7%, about 8%, about 9% or about 10%, about 11%, about 12%, about 13%, about 14% or about 15% by weight based on the total weight of the aerosol-generating material.

In some embodiments, the active ingredient comprises a nicotine component. By "nicotine component" is meant any suitable form of nicotine (e.g., free base or salt) to provide systemic absorption of at least a portion of the nicotine present. The source of nicotine may vary and may be naturally derived or synthetic. Most preferably, nicotine is naturally occurring and obtained as an extract of Nicotiana species (e.g., tobacco). Nicotine may have the enantiomeric forms S-(-)-nicotine, R-(+)-nicotine, or a mixture of S(-)-nicotine and R-(+)-nicotine. Most preferably, nicotine is in the form of S-(-)-nicotine (e.g., substantially all in the form of S(-)-nicotine) or a racemic mixture primarily or predominantly composed of S-(-)-nicotine (e.g., a mixture composed of about 95 parts by weight of S-(-)-nicotine and about 5 parts by weight of R-(+)-nicotine). Most preferably, the nicotine is used in a substantially pure or essentially pure form. Highly preferred nicotine used has a purity of greater than about 95 percent by weight, more preferably greater than about 98 percent, and most preferably greater than about 99 percent.

Typically, the nicotine component is selected from the group consisting of nicotine free base and nicotine salts. In some embodiments, the nicotine is in its free base form. The nicotine may be tobacco-derived (e.g., tobacco extract) or non-tobacco-derived (e.g., synthetically or otherwise derived). In various embodiments, the aerosol-generating material may include a nicotine component. In various embodiments, the aerosol-generating material may be free of a nicotine component. In some embodiments, the aerosol-generating material may include a non-tobacco-derived nicotine component.

Typically, the nicotine component, when present (calculated as the free base), is in a concentration of at least about 0.001% by weight of the aerosol-generating material, such as a concentration in the range of about 0.001% to about 10%. In some embodiments, the nicotine component is present in a concentration of about 0.1% w/w to about 10% by weight, such as about 0.1% w/w, about 0.2%, about 0.3%, about 0.4%, about 0.5%, about 0.6%, about 0.7%, about 0.8% or about 0.9% to about 1%, about 2%, about 3%, about 4%, about 5%, about 6%, about 7%, about 8%, about 9% or about 10% by weight, calculated as the free base and relative to the total weight of the aerosol-generating material. In some embodiments, the nicotine component is present in a concentration of about 0.1% w/w to about 3% by weight, calculated as the free base and based on the total weight of the aerosol-generating material, such as about 0.1% w/w to about 2.5%, about 0.1% to about 2.0%, about 0.1% to about 1.5%, or about 0.1% to about 1% by weight. These ranges may also apply to other active ingredients described herein.

In some embodiments, the aerosol-generating materials of the present disclosure may be characterized as being completely free or substantially free of nicotine components. By "substantially free of nicotine components" it is meant that no nicotine components are intentionally added beyond trace amounts that may be naturally present, for example, in botanical materials or tobacco materials milled without nicotine. For example, certain embodiments may be characterized as having less than 0.001% nicotine by weight, calculated as the free base, or less than 0.0001% or even 0% nicotine by weight.

In some embodiments, the active ingredient comprises tobacco extract. In some cases, the aerosol-generating material may comprise 5-60% by weight of tobacco extract (calculated on a dry weight basis). In some cases, the aerosol-generating material may comprise from about 5%, 10%, 15%, 20% or 25% by weight to about 60%, 50%, 45%, 40%, 35% or 30% by weight of tobacco extract (calculated on a dry weight basis). For example, the aerosol-generating material may comprise 10-50%, 15-40% or 20-35% by weight of tobacco extract. The tobacco extract may contain nicotine in a concentration such that the aerosol-generating material comprises from 1%, 1.5%, 2% or 2.5% by weight to about 10%, 8%, 6%, 5%, 4.5% or 4% by weight of nicotine (calculated on a dry weight basis). In some embodiments, the aerosol-generating component may contain 1-10%, 2.5-8% or 2-6% nicotine by weight. In some cases, there may be no nicotine in the aerosol-generating component other than that obtained from the tobacco extract.

In some embodiments, the active ingredient comprises one or more cannabinoids. As used herein, the term "cannabinoid" refers to a diverse class of natural or synthetic compounds that act at cannabinoid receptors (e.g., CB1 and CB2) in cells to alter neurotransmitters in the brain. Cannabinoids are cyclic molecules that exhibit certain properties, such as the ability to readily cross the blood-brain barrier. Cannabinoids may occur naturally from plants such as cannabis (phytocannabinoids), from animals (endocannabinoids), or artificially produced (synthetic cannabinoids). Cannabis species express at least 85 different phytocannabinoids, which include cannabigerol, cannabichromene, cannabidiol, tetrahydrocannabinol, cannabinol and cannabinodiol, and other cannabinoids such as cannabigerol (CBG), cannabichromene (CBC), cannabidiol (CBD), tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), cannabinol (CBN) and cannabinodiol (CBDL), cannabicyclol ( Cannabidiol may be divided into subclasses including cannabinol, cannabivarin (CBV), tetrahydrocannabivarin (THCV), cannabidivarin (CBDV), cannabichromevarin (CBCV), cannabigerovarin (CBGV), cannabigerol monomethyl ether (CBGM), cannabinerolic acid, cannabidiolic acid (CBDA), cannabinol propyl variant (CBNV), cannabidiol (CBO), tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCA) and tetrahydrocannabivarinic acid (THCV A).

In some embodiments, the cannabinoid is selected from the group consisting of cannabigerol (CBG), cannabichromene (CBC), cannabidiol (CBD), tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), cannabinol (CBN) and cannabinodiol (CBDL), cannabicyclol (CBL), cannabivarin (CBV), tetrahydrocannabivarin (THCV), cannabidivarin (CBDV), cannabichromevarin (CBCV), cannabigerovarin (CBGV), cannabigerol monomethyl ether (CBGM), cannabinolic acid, cannabidiolic acid (CBDA), cannabinol propyl variant (CBNV), cannabiditriol (CBO), tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCA), tetrahydrocannabivarinic acid (THCV A) and mixtures thereof. In some embodiments, the cannabinoid comprises at least tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). In some embodiments, the cannabinoid is tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). In some embodiments, the cannabinoid includes at least cannabidiol (CBD). In some embodiments, the cannabinoid is cannabidiol (CBD). In some embodiments, the CBD is synthetic CBD. In some embodiments, the cannabinoid (e.g., CBD) is added to the aerosol-generating material in the form of an isolate. An isolate is an extract from a plant, such as cannabis, in which the active material in question (in this case, a cannabinoid such as CBD) is present in a high degree of purity, for example greater than 95%, greater than 96%, greater than 97%, greater than 98%, or as high as 99% pure. In some embodiments, the cannabinoid is an isolate of CBD in a high degree of purity, and the amount of any other cannabinoid in the substrate is about 1% or less by weight of the substrate, for example about 0.5% or less by weight of the substrate, for example about 0.1% or less by weight of the substrate, for example about 0.01% or less by weight of the substrate. The selection of cannabinoids and the specific percentages thereof that may be present in the disclosed substrates will vary depending on the desired properties of the aerosol-generating material.

In some embodiments, the cannabinoid (such as CBD) is present in the aerosol-generating material at a concentration of at least about 0.001% by weight of the aerosol-generating material, for example at a concentration in the range of about 0.001% to about 2% by weight of the aerosol-generating material. In some embodiments, the cannabinoid (such as CBD) is present in the aerosol-generating material at a concentration of about 0.1% to about 1.5% by weight based on the total weight of the aerosol-generating material. In some embodiments, the cannabinoid (such as CBD) is present in the aerosol-generating material at a concentration of about 0.4% to about 1.5% by weight based on the total weight of the aerosol-generating material.

Alternatively, or in addition to cannabinoids, the active ingredient may include cannabimimetics, a class of compounds derived from plants other than cannabis that exert biological effects on the endocannabinoid system similar to cannabinoids. Examples include yangonin, alpha-amyrin or beta-amyrin (also classified as terpentines), cyanidin, curcumin (turmeric), catechin, quercetin, salvinorin A, N-acylethanolamines and N-alkylamide lipids. Such compounds may be used in the same amounts and ratios as described herein for cannabinoids.

In some embodiments, the active ingredients include nicotine and cannabidiol (CBD). In some embodiments, the active ingredients include nicotine, cannabidiol (CBD), and THC (tetrahydrocannabinol). In some embodiments, the active ingredients include nicotine, caffeine, taurine, theine, vitamins such as vitamin B6 or B12 or C, melatonin, cannabinoids, or components, derivatives, or combinations thereof.

Active ingredients suitable for use in the present disclosure may also be classified as terpenes, many of which are associated with biological effects such as sedative effects. Terpenes have the general formula (C ₅ H ₈ ) _n and are understood to include monoterpenes, sesquiterpenes, and diterpenes. Terpenes can be acyclic, monocyclic, or bicyclic in structure. Some terpenes exert an entourage effect when used in combination with cannabinoids or cannabimimetics. Examples include beta-caryophyllene, linalool, limonene, beta-citronellol, linalyl acetate, pinene (alpha or beta), geraniol, carvone, eucalyptol, menthone, iso-menthone, piperitone, myrcene, beta-borvonene, and germacrene, which may be used alone or in combination.

In some embodiments, the terpene is a terpene derivable from a phytocannabinoid-producing plant, such as a plant from the line of the Cannabis sativa species, such as hemp. Suitable terpenes in this regard include so-called "C10" terpenes, which are those terpenes that contain 10 carbon atoms, and so-called "C15" terpenes, which are those terpenes that contain 15 carbon atoms. In some embodiments, the active ingredient comprises multiple terpenes. For example, the active ingredient may comprise 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 or more terpenes as defined herein. In some embodiments, the terpene is selected from pinene (alpha and beta), geraniol, linalool, limonene, carvone, eucalyptol, menthone, iso-menthone, piperitone, myrcene, beta-borvonene, germacrene, and mixtures thereof. Terpenes and/or cannabinoids may be present in the aerosol-generating material as active ingredients, as aerosol former materials, or as flavoring ingredients. The amount of terpenes and/or cannabinoids present may vary accordingly based on their intended purpose.

The active ingredient may be a component of the aerosol former material, or may be impregnated or otherwise separately incorporated into the aerosol-generating material. For example, impregnation may occur during preparation of the aerosol-generating material, after formation of the aerosol-generating material, or both.

Acid In some embodiments, the aerosol-generating material comprises an acid. The acid may be an organic acid. In some of these embodiments, the acid may be at least one of a monobasic acid, a dibasic acid, and a tribasic acid. In some such embodiments, the acid may contain at least one carboxyl functional group. In some such embodiments, the acid may 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 may be an alpha-keto acid.

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

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

In certain embodiments, the aerosol-generating material includes nicotine and further includes an acid. In such embodiments, the presence of the acid may stabilize the nicotine species dissolved in the slurry from which the aerosol-generating elements are formed. The presence of the acid may reduce or substantially prevent evaporation of the nicotine during drying of the slurry, thereby reducing nicotine loss during manufacture. The presence of the acid may also improve the flavor of the aerosol when nicotine is present. For example, the perceived harshness of nicotine may be reduced by the presence of the acid.

Flavoring Substances In some embodiments, the aerosol-generating material comprises a flavoring substance. As used herein, reference to a "flavoring substance" refers to a compound or ingredient that can be aerosolized and delivered to a user and that imparts a sensory experience in terms of taste and/or aroma. They may take any suitable form, e.g., liquid such as an oil, solid such as a powder, or gaseous form. Flavoring substances may be natural or synthetic, and the flavor characteristics imparted thereby may be described as, but are not limited to, fresh, sweet, herbal, confectionery, floral, fruity, or spicy. Some examples of flavoring substances include, but are not limited to, aloe vera, aniseed, apple, Asian spices, bacopa monniera, basil, bay leaf, red shiso, bergamot, berries, betel nut, blueberry, bourbon, camphene, cannabis, caraway, cardamom, caraway, cascarilla, cassia, blackcurrant, celery, chamomile, cherry, cherry blossom, chives, coriander, cinnamon, citrus, clementine, clove, cocoa, coffee, cognac, coriander, cranberry, cucumber, cumin, turmeric, damian, dragon fruit, drambuie, durian, elderflower, eucalyptus, eugenol, fennel, fenugreek, flax, geranium, gin, ginger, ginkgo biloba, and the like. biloba), grape, guayusa, hazel, hemp, hibiscus, honeybush, honey essence, hydrangea, Indian spice, jasmine, juniper, khat, lavender, bay, lemon, lemongrass, lemon balm, lemon oil, lemon peel, licorice, lime, limonene, mace, Japanese white bark magnolia leaf leaf), mango, maple, marjoram, matcha, yerba mate, menthol, mint, myrtle, mulberry, snuff, nutmeg, olive, orange blossom, orange oil, orange peel, oregano, papaya, paprika, peach, peppermint, chili pepper, pimento, pine, rhubarb, rooibos, rosemary, rose hips, rose oil, rum, saffron, sage, sandalwood, scotch, shisha, spearmint, strawberry, tarragon, tea such as green or black tea, tequila, terpenes, thyme, tobacco, tropical fruits, turmeric, valerian, vanilla, verbena, wasabi, whiskey, wintergreen, withania somnifera, yerba mate, yerba santa, ylang ylang, and combinations thereof.

The flavoring substances may further include flavor enhancers, bitter receptor site blockers, sensory receptor site activators or stimulants, and trigeminal sensates. As used herein, "trigeminal sensates" refers to flavoring agents that exert an effect on the trigeminal nerve and produce sensations including heat, cold, tingling, and the like. Non-limiting examples of trigeminal sensate flavoring agents include capsaicin, citric acid, menthol, Sichuan buttons, erythritol, and cubebol. A suitable heat agent may be, but is not limited to, vanillyl ethyl ether, and a suitable cooling agent may be, but is not limited to, eucalyptol or WS-3 (N-ethyl-2-isopropyl-5-methylcyclohexanecarboxamide).

Further non-limiting examples include flavorings and flavor packages of the type and characteristics traditionally used for flavoring cigarettes, cigars, and pipe tobacco. See also Leffingwell et al., Tobacco Flavoring for Smoking Products, R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company (1972), which are incorporated herein by reference. Flavoring agents may include ingredients such as terpenes, terpenoids, aldehydes, ketones, esters, and the like. Syrups such as high fructose corn syrup may also be used. Some examples of plant-derived compositions that may be suitable are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 9,107,453 and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2012/0152265 by Dube et al., both of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties. The selection of such additional ingredients varies based on factors such as the sensory characteristics desired for the smoking article, their affinity to the substrate material, and other physicochemical properties. The present disclosure is intended to encompass any such additional ingredients readily apparent to those skilled in the art of tobacco and tobacco-related or tobacco-derived products. See, for example, Gutcho's Tobacco Flavoring Substances and Methods, Noyes Data Corp. (1972) and Leffingwell et al.'s Tobacco Flavoring for Smoking Products (1972), the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. It should be noted that reference to flavoring substances should not be limited to any single flavoring substance mentioned above, but in fact represents a combination of one or more flavoring substances. Additional flavoring substances, flavoring agents, additives, and other possible enhancing components are described in U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 15/707,461 to Phillips et al., which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

In some embodiments, the flavor comprises cucumber, blueberry, citrus and/or red berry flavor components. In some embodiments, the flavor comprises eugenol. In some embodiments, the flavor comprises flavor components extracted from tobacco.

The flavouring substance may be a component of the aerosol former material or may be impregnated separately into the aerosol-generating material. Impregnation may occur during preparation of the aerosol-generating material, after formation of the aerosol-generating material, or both.

The amount of flavoring material present may vary and, when present, is generally less than about 30%, or less than about 20% by weight of the aerosol-generating material. For example, the flavoring material may be present in an amount of about 0.1%, about 0.5%, about 1%, or about 5% to about 10%, about 20%, or about 30% by weight of the aerosol-generating material.

Colorants In some embodiments, the aerosol-generating material comprises a colorant. The addition of a colorant may change the visual appearance of the aerosol-generating material. The presence of a colorant may enhance the visual appearance of the aerosol-generating material and/or the aerosol-generating component, including the substrate. By adding a colorant to the aerosol-generating material, the aerosol-generating material may be color-matched to other parts of the aerosol-generating component or to other components of the article that includes the aerosol-generating material.

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

The colorant may be incorporated into the aerosol-generating material during its formation (e.g., when forming a slurry containing the materials that will form the aerosol-generating material) or may be applied to the aerosol-generating material after its formation (e.g., by spraying it onto the aerosol-generating material).

Methods of Forming an Aerosol-Generating Material In another aspect, there is provided a method of forming an aerosol-generating material in the form of a sheet having a surface and having tobacco material embedded in the sheet or adhered to the surface. The method comprises:
(a)(i) one or more binders and/or foam-forming agents;
(ii) a filler;
(iii) an aerosol former material; and (iv) providing a slurry comprising a solvent;
(b) optionally aerating the slurry to form an aerated slurry;
(c) forming a layer of the slurry;
(d) depositing tobacco material onto the layer of slurry; and (e) drying the slurry having the tobacco material deposited thereon to form an aerosol-generating material.

Each of the foam former, filler, aerosol former material and tobacco material is as described herein above.

The amount of solvent may vary. In some embodiments, the slurry comprises about 50%, 60%, 70%, 80% or 90% by weight of the solvent. In some embodiments, the solvent is water. In embodiments where the solvent is water, the dry weight content of the slurry corresponds to the dry weight content of the aerosol-generating material.

"Aerating a slurry" means introducing a gas into the slurry to form bubbles, which are stabilized against collapse by the presence of the bubble-forming agent(s). In some embodiments, the gas is air. Thus, in some embodiments, aerating the slurry comprises mixing the slurry under high shear conditions such that air bubbles are incorporated into the slurry. In some embodiments, the slurry components are mixed to form the slurry prior to aerating the slurry. In other embodiments, the slurry components are mixed under high shear conditions such that aeration occurs during formation of the slurry (i.e., preparing the slurry comprises mixing the slurry under high shear conditions such that aeration occurs as part of step (a)).

In some embodiments, aerating the slurry comprises bubbling a gas through the slurry. In some embodiments, the gas is air, nitrogen, or carbon dioxide.

In some embodiments, aerating the slurry includes adding a foaming agent to the slurry. As described herein above, foaming agents, such as a mixture of carbonate or bicarbonate and acid, generate carbon dioxide gas when reacted with one another, such as may occur when added to a slurry that includes water as a solvent. At least a portion of the gas bubbles formed are then trapped in the slurry by the foam-forming agent to provide an aerated slurry.

The slurry layer may be formed by a variety of techniques. For example, forming the layer of the slurry may include spraying, casting, or extruding the slurry. In some embodiments, the slurry layer is formed by electrospraying the slurry. In some cases, the slurry layer is formed by casting the slurry. In some embodiments, the slurry is applied to a support and a layer of aerated slurry is formed on the support. In some embodiments, the slurry is cast onto a belt to form the layer.

The tobacco material described herein above is then deposited on the slurry layer. For example, the tobacco material may be applied to the top surface of the wet slurry from a hopper positioned above the slurry layer. In a particular embodiment, the slurry is cast onto a casting belt to form a slurry layer, and the tobacco material is dropped from a hopper positioned above the casting belt and the casting belt is moved therewith, thereby uniformly distributing the tobacco material on the surface of the cast layer. One non-limiting embodiment of this technique for depositing tobacco material is provided in FIG. 1. With reference to FIG. 1, individual particles of tobacco material of various shapes are deposited from a hopper 404 onto a cast foam sheet 400 that is cast onto a moving belt 402, providing a randomly oriented layer of tobacco material 406 adhered and/or embedded in the cast foam sheet 400. The size of the tobacco particles 406 in FIG. 1 is exaggerated for illustrative purposes.

After deposition of the tobacco material, the layer of slurry having the tobacco material deposited thereon is dried to remove at least a portion of the solvent (e.g., water) present in the slurry. In some embodiments, the drying removes from about 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, or 90% to about 80%, 90%, or 95% by weight of the solvent in the slurry. In some embodiments, the drying includes heating the slurry. In some embodiments, after drying, the thickness of the cast material is reduced relative to the thickness of the wet cast material. For example, in some embodiments, the thickness of the wet slurry layer is reduced by at least about 80%, such as about 85% to 90%. For example, in one non-limiting embodiment, the slurry is cast at a thickness of about 2 mm and the resulting dry aerosol-generating material has a thickness of about 0.2 mm.

In some embodiments, the aerosol-generating material may be coated or layered to avoid loss of tobacco material embedded or adhered to the surface of the sheet during subsequent processing (e.g., cutting). Such coating or layering may occur before or after drying. For example, in some embodiments, the aerosol-generating material is in a layered form with tobacco material embedded between layers of the sheet. To provide such an embodiment, a second layer of slurry is cast onto the initial layer of the cast sheet having tobacco material deposited on or adhered to the surface. This second layer may be applied either before or after drying the initial cast sheet layer having tobacco material deposited on or adhered to the surface. The layered sheet is then dried as described above to form a layered aerosol-generating material with tobacco material embedded therein. With further reference to FIG. 1, the second slurry is dispensed into an applicator 408 configured to deposit the slurry onto the initial layer of the cast sheet having tobacco material deposited on or adhered to the surface.

In some embodiments, the aerosol-generating material is in the form of a topcoat, and the tobacco material embedded or adhered to the surface of the sheet is topcoated with a film-forming agent. Suitable film-forming agents include, but are not limited to, hydroxypropyl cellulose, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, modified starch, maltodextrin, carboxymethylcellulose, alginates, carrageenan, xanthan, gellan, acacia gum, tragacanth gum, monoglycerides, diglycerides, triethyl citrate, and the like, including combinations thereof. In some embodiments, the film-forming agent is an alginate, such as ammonium alginate, propylene glycol alginate, potassium alginate, and sodium alginate. In some embodiments, the film-forming agent is a cellulose derivative, such as hydroxypropyl cellulose, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, hydroxyethyl cellulose, or sodium carboxymethylcellulose. In some embodiments, the film-forming agent is a combination of hydroxypropyl cellulose, monoglycerides, diglycerides, and triethyl citrate. Exemplary film-forming agents are commercially available under the trade names WALOCEL™ and TEXTURECEL™. In some embodiments, the film-forming agent is a starch, such as corn starch, rice starch, modified food starch, etc. In some embodiments, the film-forming agent is a gum, such as xanthan gum, guar gum, gum arabic, locust bean gum, pullulan, or tragacanth gum.

Such a topcoat material may be formed by depositing a film-forming agent onto a sheet having tobacco material deposited or adhered thereto. Deposition may be by any suitable method, such as spraying or flowing the film-forming agent, optionally in the form of a solution in a suitable solvent, onto the sheet, or immersing the sheet in the film-forming agent. In some embodiments, the film-forming agent is sprayed or deposited onto the sheet. With further reference to FIG. 1, the film-forming agent is administered to an applicator 408 configured to spray or deposit a slurry onto a layer of the cast sheet having tobacco material deposited or adhered thereto. In embodiments in which the film-forming agent is applied in solution form, the final topcoat aerosol-generating material is formed by drying the resulting layer of film-forming agent to remove at least a portion of the solvent present in the solution, forming the topcoat aerosol-generating material.

Properties of the Aerosol-Generating Material The aerosol-generating material is generally provided as a sheet. The aerosol-generating material may be continuous. For example, in a cast foam sheet, the foam may comprise or be a continuous sheet of material. The sheet may be cut into strips, such as about 20-30 strips per inch, and used as a consumable or cigarette filler. The sheet may be chopped to form a chopped sheet and collected into strands or bundles for use in consumables or cigarettes as described herein below. The sheet may take the form of a wrapper or may be collected to form a collected sheet as described herein below.

The thickness of the aerosol-generating material may vary. As used herein, the term "thickness" when used with respect to the aerosol-generating material describes the shortest distance between a first surface and a second surface. In embodiments in which the aerosol-generating material is in the form of a sheet, the thickness of the aerosol-generating material is the shortest distance between a first plane of the sheet and a second plane of the sheet opposite the first plane of the sheet. In some cases, the aerosol-generating material may have a thickness of about 0.015 mm to about 10 mm. Suitably, the thickness may range from about 0.05 mm, 0.1 mm, or 0.15 mm to about 5 mm, 3 mm, 2 mm, 1 mm, 0.5 mm, or 0.3 mm. The aerosol-generating material may include multiple layers, and the thicknesses described herein refer to the thickness of the layers taken together. The thickness values specified herein are average values of the thickness in question. In some cases, the thickness may vary by 25%, 20%, 15%, 10%, 5%, or 1% or less.

The aerosol-generating material in the form of a cast foam sheet is a porous material. The density of the aerosol-generating material may vary. For example, in some embodiments, the aerosol-generating material has a density of about 0.02 g/cm ³ , 0.06 g/cm ³ , 0.1 g/cm ³ , or 0.15 g/cm ³ to about 0.25 g/cm ³ , 0.4 g/cm ³ , 0.6 g/cm ³ , or 0.7 g/cm ³ . In some embodiments, the aerosol-generating material has a density of 0.02-0.7 g/cm ³ , 0.02-0.6 g/cm ³ , 0.02-0.5 g/cm ³ , 0.02-0.4 g/cm ³ , or 0.1-0.3 g/cm ³ .

The fill value of the aerosol-generating material may vary. For example, in some embodiments, the aerosol-generating material has a fill value of greater than about 380 ^cm /100 g, greater than about 400 ^cm /100 g, or greater than 420 ^cm /100 g. The fill value may be measured using a density meter. In one embodiment, the fill value is measured according to Method A: weigh out about 70-80 g of the aerosol-generating material. The weighed amount of the aerosol-generating material is then transferred to the container assembly of the density meter and the bulk volume is measured. The fill value is then calculated according to Equation 1:
Filling value = (bulk volume/weight) x 100 (Equation 1)
Calculate according to.

The Gurley porosity of the aerosol-generating material may vary. For example, in some embodiments, the aerosol-generating material has a Gurley porosity of about 100 sec/100 mL or more, 125 sec/100 mL or more, or 150 sec/100 mL or more. The Gurley porosity may be measured using a Gurley densometer. In one embodiment, the Gurley porosity is measured according to Method B: the aerosol-generating material is placed between the clamp plates of a Gurley densometer. The inner cylinder is then lowered and the time required to force 100 cc of air through the material is measured.

Aerosol-generating elements In another aspect, an aerosol-generating element is provided. The aerosol-generating element comprises an aerosol-generating material as disclosed herein. The aerosol-generating element may take any suitable form, such as a chopped sheet, a corrugated sheet, or a sheet crimped and gathered into a cylindrical rod. In some embodiments, the aerosol-generating element comprises a crimped and gathered sheet or corrugated sheet of aerosol-generating material formed into a rod with a wrapping material surrounding the rod. An aerosol-generating element in the form of a crimped cylindrical rod according to a non-limiting embodiment is illustrated in FIG. 2. Referring to FIG. 2, rod 500 comprises wrapping material 502, an outermost layer of crimped paper 504, and an internal crimped bundle 506 of aerosol-generating material.

3A-3C provide additional exemplary configurations of aerosol-generating elements including aerosol-generating material. For example, as shown in FIG. 3A, the aerosol-generating element can be constructed from a single layer of aerosol-generating material in the form of a corrugated sheet that is wound into a tubular form and surrounded by a wrapping material. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 3B, the aerosol-generating material can be used in a layered form, with multiple layers stacked together and surrounded by a wrapping material. Still further, as shown in FIG. 3C, the aerosol-generating material can be used in the form of a corrugated sheet that is wound into a coil and surrounded by a wrapping material.

In some embodiments, the aerosol-generating element further comprises additional tobacco material (e.g., reconstituted or laminar tobacco). For the avoidance of doubt, this additional tobacco material is separate and distinct from the tobacco material present in or on the cast sheet of aerosol-generating material and does not form part of the aerosol-generating material. Instead, this additional tobacco material is physically combined with the cast sheet having the tobacco material adhered thereto or embedded therein. In some embodiments, the aerosol-generating element comprises about 10 to about 100% by weight of the aerosol-generating material, with the remainder being a component that comprises or consists of tobacco material. In some embodiments, the tobacco material is present in the aerosol-generating element in an amount of about 50 to 90% by weight, or about 60 to 90% by weight, or about 70 to 90% by weight, or about 80 to about 90% by weight of the aerosol-generating element. In some embodiments, the aerosol-generating material is present in the aerosol-generating component in an amount of about 5-40%, 5-30%, 5-25%, or 10-25%, or 10-20% by weight. In some embodiments, the aerosol-generating component consists or consists essentially of the aerosol-generating material and the tobacco material.

Any suitable form of tobacco material may be used, such as tobacco, tobacco derivatives, extended 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, reconstituted tobacco and/or tobacco extract.

In some embodiments, the aerosol-generating material is present as shredded sheets that are blended with the tobacco material. In some embodiments, the tobacco material is finely cut and/or shredded, e.g., the aerosol-generating material and the tobacco material are in a similar form. In some embodiments, the tobacco material comprises reconstituted tobacco, tobacco lamina, fine cut tobacco, cut rag tobacco, or combinations thereof.

The tobacco used to produce the tobacco material may be any suitable tobacco, such as a single grade or blend, cut rag or whole leaf, including Virginia and/or Burley and/or Oriental. It may be tobacco particles "fine" or dust, expanded tobacco, stems, expanded stems, and other processed stem materials, such as cut rolled stems. The tobacco material may be ground tobacco or reconstituted tobacco material. The reconstituted tobacco material may include tobacco fiber and may be formed by casting, Fourdrinier-based papermaking type techniques with further addition of tobacco extract, or extrusion. In some embodiments, the tobacco material comprises or consists of laminar tobacco (such as cut rag tobacco) that provides desirable sensory characteristics. In some embodiments, the tobacco material comprises reconstituted tobacco in an amount of less than about 50%, 30%, 10%, 5%, or 1% by weight based on the dry weight of the tobacco material. In some embodiments, the tobacco material is substantially free of reconstituted tobacco.

In some embodiments, the tobacco material is fine cut (e.g., cut into thin strips). The fine cut tobacco material may be advantageously blended with the aerosol-generating material to provide an aerosol-generating element having an even distribution of the tobacco material and the aerosol-generating material throughout the aerosol-generating element. Fine cut tobacco (such as cut rag tobacco) has a cut width, which is typically expressed as CPI (cuts per inch) and refers to the chopped width of the tobacco. In some embodiments where the tobacco material is fine cut (e.g., the tobacco material comprises cut rag tobacco), the cut width of the aerosol-generating material is about 90-110% of the cut width of the cut rag tobacco. That is, the aerosol-generating material and the tobacco material have similar cut or chopped widths. Configuring the aerosol-generating material and the tobacco material to have similar cut widths allows for better blending of the aerosol-generating material and the tobacco material. For example, shredded aerosol-generating material sheets and cut rag tobacco having similar cut widths can be blended to provide a more homogenous aerosol-generating element (e.g., better distribution of each material throughout the aerosol-generating element). The tobacco material may have a length of 1-4 cm.

In some embodiments, the tobacco material comprises one or more of ground tobacco, tobacco fiber, cut sareta tobacco, extruded tobacco, tobacco stems, reconstituted tobacco, and/or tobacco extract. It is possible to use relatively large amounts of laminar tobacco in the aerosol generating element and still provide an acceptable aerosol when heated by a non-combustible aerosol delivery system. Laminar tobacco typically provides superior sensory properties. In embodiments, the tobacco material comprises laminar tobacco in an amount of at least about 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, 85%, 90%, or 95% by weight of the tobacco material. In certain embodiments, the tobacco material comprises cut tobacco in an amount of at least about 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, 85%, 90%, or 95% by weight of the tobacco material.

The tobacco used to produce the tobacco material may be any suitable tobacco, such as a single grade or blend, cut rag or whole leaf, including Virginia and/or Burley and/or Oriental.

In some embodiments, the aerosol-generating material is shredded and blended with other materials, such as a substrate, instead of or in addition to tobacco to form the aerosol-generating element.

In some embodiments, the aerosol-generating material is topcoated or laminated. In some embodiments, the aerosol-generating material is in a laminate form. In such embodiments, a layer of dried, optionally aerated slurry forms a second sheet over the aerosol-generating material such that the tobacco material is embedded between the two sheet layers. Without being bound by theory, it is believed that such a laminate form is useful to avoid loss of the adhered or embedded tobacco material in subsequent processing (e.g., cutting, shredding, forming, and the like). A non-limiting example of an aerosol-generating material 600 in a laminate form is shown in FIG. 11. Referring to FIG. 11, a second sheet 606, optionally in the form of a foam sheet, is adhered and overlaid on the tobacco material 604 embedded in the base sheet 602 and can be in direct contact with either the tobacco material 604 alone or both the tobacco material and the base sheet.

In some embodiments, the aerosol-generating material is in a topcoat form, and the tobacco material embedded or adhered to the surface of the sheet is topcoated with a film-forming agent as described herein above. Without wishing to be bound by theory, it is believed that such a topcoat form is useful to avoid loss of the adhered or embedded tobacco material during subsequent processing (e.g., cutting, shredding, forming, and the like). In some embodiments, the aerosol-generating material is topcoated with a film-forming agent selected from the group consisting of hydroxypropyl cellulose, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, modified starch, maltodextrin, carboxymethylcellulose, alginate, carrageenan, xanthan, gellan, acacia gum, tragacanth gum, and combinations thereof. In some embodiments, the aerosol-generating material is topcoated with a film-forming agent selected from the group consisting of hydroxypropyl cellulose, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, and carboxymethylcellulose. In some embodiments, the film-forming agent is hydroxypropyl methylcellulose. A non-limiting embodiment of an aerosol-generating material 700 in a topcoat form is shown in FIG. 12. Referring to FIG. 12, the coating 712 is adhered to and overlies the tobacco material 710 embedded in the base sheet 708, and can be in direct contact with either the tobacco material 710 alone or both the tobacco material and the base sheet.

Support In some embodiments, the aerosol-generating material described herein may be present on or in a support to form a substrate (which in some embodiments is synonymous with the term "consumable"). In such embodiments, the support serves as a scaffold on which the aerosol-generating material layer is formed, facilitating manufacturing. The support may provide rigidity to the aerosol-generating material layer and facilitate handling. The support may be any suitable material that can be used to support the aerosol-generating material. In some embodiments, the support may be formed from a material selected from metal foil, paper, carbon paper, greaseproof paper, ceramics, carbon allotropes such as graphite and graphene, plastic, cardboard, wood, or combinations thereof. In some embodiments, the support may include or consist of a tobacco material, such as a sheet of reconstituted tobacco. In some embodiments, the support may be formed from a material selected from metal foil, paper, cardboard, wood, or combinations thereof. In some embodiments, the support comprises paper. In some embodiments, the support itself may be a laminate structure comprising layers of materials selected from the preceding list. In some embodiments, the support may function as a flavor support. For example, the substrate may be impregnated with flavor substances or with tobacco extracts.

The thickness of the support may vary. In some embodiments, the thickness of the support layer may range from about 10 μm, 15 μm, 17 μm, 20 μm, 23 μm, 25 μm, 50 μm, 75 μm or 0.1 mm to about 2.5 mm, 2.0 mm, 1.5 mm, 1.0 mm or 0.5 mm. The support may include multiple layers, and the thicknesses described herein refer to the combined thickness of the layers.

In some embodiments, the support may be magnetic. This functionality may be used to secure the support to an assembly during use, or to generate a particular shape of aerosol-generating material. In some cases, the aerosol-generating substrate may include one or more magnets that can be used to secure the substrate to an induction heater during use.

In some embodiments, the support may be substantially or totally impermeable to gases and/or aerosols. This prevents the passage of aerosols or gases through the support layer, thereby ensuring that the flow is controlled and delivered to the user. This may also be used, for example, to prevent condensation or other build-up of gases/aerosols during use on the surfaces of a heater provided in the aerosol generation assembly. Consumption efficiency and hygiene may therefore be improved in some cases.

In some embodiments, the surface of the support that contacts the aerosol-generating material may be porous. For example, in some embodiments, the support comprises paper. Porous supports such as paper are particularly suitable for the present invention; the porous (e.g., paper) layer contacts the aerosol-generating layer and forms a strong bond. The aerosol-generating material is formed by drying a gel, and without being bound by theory, it is believed that the slurry from which the gel is formed impregnates the porous support (e.g., paper) such that the support partially bonds to the gel as the gel cures and forms crosslinks. This provides a strong bond between the gel and the support (and between the dried gel and the support).

Surface roughness may further contribute to the strength of the bond between the aerosol-generating material and the substrate. The roughness of the paper (for the surface in contact with the substrate) may suitably be in the range of 50-1000 Bekk seconds, suitably 50-150 Bekk seconds, suitably 100 Bekk seconds (measured at air pressure intervals of 50.66-48.00 kPa). (The Bekk smoothness tester is an instrument used to determine the smoothness of paper surfaces; air at a specified pressure is leaked between a smooth glass surface and a paper sample, and the time (in seconds) for a fixed volume of air to seep between these surfaces is the "Bekk smoothness").

Conversely, the surface of the support facing away from the aerosol-generating material may be arranged in contact with the heater, with a smoother surface providing more efficient heat transfer. Thus, in some cases, the support is arranged to have a rougher surface in contact with the aerosol-generating material and a smoother surface facing away from the aerosol-generating material.

In some particular embodiments, the support may be a paper-backed foil; the paper layer is in contact with the layer of aerosol-generating material, providing the properties discussed in the previous paragraph. The foil backing is substantially impermeable, providing control of the aerosol flow path. The metal foil backing may serve to conduct heat to the aerosol-generating material.

In another embodiment, the foil layer of the paper-backed foil contacts the aerosol-generating material. The foil is substantially impermeable, thereby preventing water provided to the aerosol-generating material from being absorbed by the paper and potentially weakening its structural integrity.

In some embodiments, the support is formed from or includes a metal foil, such as aluminum foil. The metal support may allow for better conduction of thermal energy to the aerosol-generating material. Additionally or alternatively, the metal foil may function as a susceptor in an induction heating system. In certain embodiments, the support includes a metal foil layer and a support layer, such as cardboard. In these embodiments, the metal foil layer may have a thickness of less than 20 μm, for example from about 1 μm to about 10 μm, suitably about 5 μm.

In some embodiments, the support may have a thickness of between about 0.017 mm and about 2.0 mm, suitably between about 0.02 mm, 0.05 mm or 0.1 mm and about 1.5 mm, 1.0 mm or 0.5 mm.

Consumables In another aspect of the present disclosure, an article (also referred to herein as a consumable) is provided. A consumable is an article intended to be consumed, in part or in whole, during use by a user. The consumable may include or consist of an aerosol generating element as described herein. The consumable may include one or more other elements, such as a filter or an aerosol modifier. The consumable may include a heating element that emits heat during use to generate an aerosol from the aerosol generating element. The heating element may include, for example, a combustible material or may include a susceptor that is heatable by penetration with a changing magnetic field.

The susceptor is a material that can be heated by transmission with a changing magnetic field, such as an alternating magnetic field. The heating material may be a conductive material, such that transmission thereof with a changing magnetic field causes inductive heating of the heating material. The heating material may be a magnetic material, such that transmission thereof with a changing magnetic field causes magnetic hysteresis heating of the heating material. The heating material may be both conductive and magnetic, such that the heating material is heatable by both heating mechanisms.

Induction heating is a process in which a conductive object is heated by passing a changing magnetic field through the object. The process is described by Faraday's law of electromagnetic induction and Ohm's law. An induction heater may include an electromagnet and a device that passes a changing electric current, such as an alternating current, through the electromagnet. When the electromagnet and the object to be heated are appropriately positioned relative to one another such that the resulting changing magnetic field produced by the electromagnet passes through the object, one or more eddy currents are generated in the object. The object has a resistance to the flow of electric current. Thus, when such eddy currents are generated in the object, their flow against the electrical resistance of the object causes the object to heat. This process is called Joule, Ohmic, or resistive heating.

In some embodiments, the susceptor is in the form of a closed circuit. It has been found that when the susceptor is in the form of a closed circuit, the magnetic coupling between the susceptor and the electromagnet during use is enhanced, resulting in greater or improved Joule heating.

Magnetic hysteresis heating is a process in which an object made of a magnetic material is heated by passing a changing magnetic field through the object. The magnetic material can be viewed as containing many atomic-scale magnets or magnetic dipoles. When a magnetic field passes through such a material, the magnetic dipoles become aligned with the magnetic field. Thus, when a changing magnetic field, such as an alternating magnetic field produced by an electromagnet, passes through a magnetic material, the orientation of the magnetic dipoles changes with the changing applied magnetic field. Such reorientation of the magnetic dipoles generates heat in the magnetic material.

When an object is both conductive and magnetic, passing a changing magnetic field through it can induce both Joule heating and magnetic hysteresis heating in the object. Furthermore, the use of magnetic materials can enhance the magnetic field and thus the Joule heating.

In each of the above processes, because heat is generated within the object itself rather than from an external heat source by thermal conduction, rapid temperature rise and more uniform heat distribution within the object can be achieved, particularly through selection of appropriate object materials and geometry and appropriate varying magnetic field magnitude and orientation relative to the object. Furthermore, induction heating and magnetic hysteresis heating do not require a physical connection to be provided between the source of the varying magnetic field and the object, allowing for greater design freedom and control over the heating profile and lower costs.

The delivery systems described herein can be implemented as flammable aerosol delivery systems or non-flammable aerosol delivery systems.

Combustible Aerosol Delivery Systems Aspects of the present invention provide combustible aerosol delivery systems in which constituent aerosol-generating materials of the aerosol delivery system (or components thereof) are combusted or burned during use to facilitate delivery of at least one substance to a user. In some embodiments, the delivery system is a combustible aerosol delivery system, such as a system selected from the group consisting of a cigarette, a thin cigar, and a cigar.

Aspects of the present invention provide a non-flammable aerosol delivery system that includes an article (i.e., an aerosol-generating material, component, or consumable) described herein and a non-flammable aerosol delivery device that includes a heater configured to heat, rather than burn, the aerosol-generating article. The non-flammable aerosol delivery system may also be referred to as an aerosol generating assembly. The non-flammable aerosol delivery device may also be referred to as an aerosol generating apparatus.

In some cases, during use, the heater may heat the aerosol-generating material to a temperature equal to or less than 350°C, for example to a temperature between 120°C and 350°C, rather than burning it. In some cases, the heater may heat the aerosol-generating element to between 140°C and 250°C, or between 220°C and 280°C, rather than burning it. In some cases, during use, substantially all of the aerosol-generating material is less than about 4 mm, 3 mm, 2 mm, or 1 mm from the heater. In some cases, the material is located between about 0.010 mm and 2.0 mm, suitably between about 0.02 mm and 1.0 mm, suitably between 0.1 mm and 0.5 mm, from the heater. These minimum distances may in some cases reflect the thickness of the support supporting the aerosol-generating material. In some cases, the surface of the aerosol-generating material may be in direct contact with the heater.

The heater is configured to heat, rather than burn, the aerosol generating article, and thus the aerosol generating element. The heater may be a thin film resistive heater in some cases. In other cases, the heater may include an inductive heater or the like. The heater may be a combustible or chemical heat source that undergoes an exothermic reaction to generate heat during use. The aerosol generating assembly may include multiple heaters. The heater(s) may be powered by a battery.

The aerosol generating article may further include a cooling element and/or a filter. The cooling element, if present, may act or function to cool the gaseous or aerosol components. In some cases, it may act to cool the gaseous components so that they condense to form the aerosol. It may act to move very hot portions of the non-flammable aerosol delivery device away from the user. The filter, if present, may include any suitable filter known in the art, such as a cellulose acetate plug.

In some cases, the aerosol generating assembly may be a non-burning heating device. Non-burning heating devices are disclosed in International Patent Application Publication No. WO2015/062983, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety.

In some cases, the aerosol generating assembly may be an e-cigarette hybrid device, i.e., it may contain a solid aerosol generating element and a liquid aerosol generating material. In some cases, the aerosol generating material may include nicotine. In some cases, the aerosol generating material may include tobacco material. In some cases, the aerosol generating material may include tobacco material and a separate nicotine source. The separate aerosol generating elements may be heated by separate heaters, and the same heater or, in some cases, the downstream aerosol generating material may be heated by hot aerosol generated from an upstream aerosol generating element. An e-cigarette hybrid device is disclosed in International Patent Application Publication No. WO2016/135331, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety.

The aerosol-generating article (which may be referred to herein as an article, cartridge, or consumable) may be adapted for use in a THP, an e-cigarette hybrid device, or another aerosol-generating device. In some cases, the article may further include a filter and/or a cooling element (as previously described). In some cases, the aerosol-generating article may be surrounded by a wrapping material, such as paper.

The aerosol-generating article may further include ventilation apertures. These may be located in the sidewalls of the article. In some cases, ventilation apertures may be located in the filter and/or cooling element. These apertures may draw cooling air into the article during use, where it can mix with the heated volatile components, thereby cooling the aerosol.

Ventilation enhances the generation of visible heated volatiles from the article when it is heated during use. The heated volatiles become visible through the process of cooling the heated volatiles such that supersaturation of the heated volatiles occurs. The heated volatiles then undergo the formation of droplets, commonly known as nucleation, and ultimately the size of the aerosol particles of the heated volatiles increases through further condensation of the heated volatiles and through coalescence of the newly formed droplets from the heated volatiles.

In some cases, the ratio of cooled air to the sum of heated volatiles and cooled air, known as the ventilation ratio, is at least 15%. A ventilation ratio of 15% makes the heated volatiles visible by the methods described above. The visibility of the heated volatiles allows the user to confirm that volatiles are being generated and enhances the sensory experience of the smoking experience.

In another embodiment, the ventilation ratio is between 50% and 85% to provide additional cooling to the heated volatiles. In some cases, the ventilation ratio may be at least 60% or 65%.

In some cases, the aerosol-generating elements may be included in the article/assembly in sheet form as described herein above. In some cases, the aerosol-generating elements may be included in a planar sheet. In some cases, the aerosol-generating elements may be included as a planar sheet, as a bundle or collection of sheets, as a crimped sheet, or as a rolled sheet (i.e., in the form of a rod or tube), each as described herein above. In some such cases, the aerosol-generating material of these embodiments may be included in the aerosol-generating article/assembly as a sheet, such as a sheet surrounding a rod of aerosol-generating material (e.g., tobacco). In some other cases, the aerosol-generating elements may be formed as a sheet and then shredded and incorporated into the article. In some cases, the shredded sheet may be mixed with cut rag tobacco and incorporated into the article.

In some cases, the first and second aerosol-generating materials described herein may both be formed as sheets and then chopped and mixed together to form the aerosol-generating element. The components may then be incorporated into an article. In some cases, the chopped sheets may be mixed with cut rag tobacco and incorporated into an article.

In some embodiments, the aerosol-generating material is formed as a foam on the substrate. The aerosol-generating foam may be a continuous foam or a discontinuous foam, e.g., an arrangement of individual portions of foam on the substrate.

With reference to Figures 4 and 5, a partial cutaway cross-sectional view and a perspective view of an example of an aerosol generating article 101 are shown. The article 101 is adapted for use with a device having a power source and a heater. This embodiment of the article 101 is particularly suitable for use with the device 1 shown in Figures 8-10, described below. In use, the article 101 can be removably inserted into the device shown in Figure 8 at the insertion portion 20 of the device 1.

The article 101 in one embodiment is in the form of a substantially cylindrical rod, including the body of the aerosol generating element 103 and the filter assembly 105 in the form of a rod. The aerosol generating element comprises an aerosol-generating material as described herein. In some embodiments, it may be included in sheet form. In some embodiments, it may be included in chopped sheet form. In some embodiments, the aerosol generating element as described herein may be incorporated in both sheet form and chopped form.

The filter assembly 105 includes three segments, a cooling segment 107, a filter segment 109, and a mouthpiece segment 111. The article 101 has a first end 113, also known as the mouthpiece or proximal end, and a second end 115, also known as the distal end. The body of the aerosol generating element 103 is positioned toward the distal end 115 of the article 101. In one embodiment, the cooling segment 107 is positioned adjacent to the body of the aerosol generating element 103 between the aerosol generating element 103 and the filter segment 109 such that the cooling segment 107 is in tangential relationship with the aerosol generating element 103 and the filter segment 103. In other embodiments, there may be spacing between the body of the aerosol generating element 103 and the cooling segment 107, and between the body of the aerosol generating element 103 and the filter segment 109. The filter segment 109 is positioned between the cooling segment 107 and the mouthpiece segment 111. The mouthpiece segment 111 is positioned adjacent to the filter segment 109 toward the proximal end 113 of the article 101. In one example, the filter segment 109 is in tandem with the mouthpiece segment 111. In one embodiment, the overall length of the filter assembly 105 is between 37 mm and 45 mm, and more preferably, the overall length of the filter assembly 105 is 41 mm.

In one embodiment, the rod of the aerosol generating element 103 is between 34mm and 50mm in length, suitably between 38mm and 46mm in length, suitably 42mm in length.

In one embodiment, the overall length of the article 101 is between 71 mm and 95 mm, suitably between 79 mm and 87 mm, suitably 83 mm.

The axial end of the body of the aerosol generating element 103 is visible at the distal end 115 of the article 101. However, in other embodiments, the distal end 115 of the article 101 may include an end member (not shown) that covers the axial end of the body of the aerosol generating element 103.

The body of the aerosol generating element 103 is joined to the filter assembly 105 by an annular tipping paper (not shown) positioned substantially around the periphery of the filter assembly 105 so as to surround the filter assembly 105 and extend partially along the length of the body of the aerosol generating element 103. In one embodiment, the tipping paper is made of 58 GSM standard tipping base paper. In one embodiment, the tipping paper has a length between 42 mm and 50 mm, suitably 46 mm.

In one embodiment, the cooling segment 107 is an annular tube and is positioned around the cooling segment to define an internal cavity. The cavity provides a chamber for the flow of heated volatile components generated from the body of the aerosol generating element 103. The cooling segment 107 is hollow to provide a chamber for aerosol accumulation that remains rigid to withstand axial compressive forces and bending moments that may occur during manufacturing and during use during insertion of the article 101 into the device 1. In one embodiment, the wall thickness of the cooling segment 107 is about 0.29 mm.

The cooling segment 107 provides a physical displacement between the aerosol generating element 103 and the filter segment 109. The physical displacement provided by the cooling segment 107 provides a thermal gradient throughout the length of the cooling segment 107. In one embodiment, the cooling segment 107 is configured to provide a temperature difference of at least 40 degrees Celsius between the heated volatile components entering the first end of the cooling segment 107 and the heated volatile components exiting the second end of the cooling segment 107. In one embodiment, the cooling segment 107 is configured to provide a temperature difference of at least 60 degrees Celsius between the heated volatile components entering the first end of the cooling segment 107 and the heated volatile components exiting the second end of the cooling segment 107. This temperature difference throughout the length of the cooling element 107 protects the temperature sensitive filter segment 109 from the high temperatures of the aerosol generating element 103 when heated by the device 1. If no physical displacement is provided between the filter segment 109 and the body of the aerosol generating element 103 and the heating element of the device 1, it is believed that the temperature sensitive filter segment 109 may be damaged during use and therefore will not effectively perform its required function.

In one embodiment, the length of the cooling segment 107 is at least 15 mm. In one embodiment, the length of the cooling segment 107 is between 20 mm and 30 mm, more particularly between 23 mm and 27 mm, more particularly between 25 mm and 27 mm, suitably 25 mm.

The cooling segment 107 is made of paper, which means that it is composed of a material that does not emit compounds of concern, e.g., toxic compounds, when used adjacent to the heater of the device 1. In one embodiment, the cooling segment 107 is manufactured from a spirally wound paper tube that provides a hollow interior chamber but still maintains mechanical rigidity. A spirally wound paper tube can meet the tight dimensional accuracy requirements of high speed manufacturing processes with respect to tube length, outer diameter, roundness, and straightness.

In another embodiment, the cooling segment 107 is a recess created from a stiff plug wrap or tipping paper. The stiff plug wrap or tipping paper is manufactured to be sufficiently stiff to withstand the axial compressive forces and bending moments that may occur during manufacture and during use of the article 101 during insertion into the device 1.

The filter segment 109 may be formed of any filter material sufficient to remove one or more volatile compounds from the heated volatile components of the aerosol-generating material. In one embodiment, the filter segment 109 is made of a monoacetate material, such as cellulose acetate. The filter segment 109 provides cooling and reduced irritation from the heated volatile components without depleting the amount of the heated volatile compounds to a level that is unsatisfactory to the user.

In some embodiments, a capsule (not shown) may be provided in the filter segment 109. It may be located substantially in the center of the filter segment 109, both across the diameter of the filter segment 109 and along the length of the filter segment 109. In other cases, it may be offset in one or more dimensions. The capsule may contain a volatile component, such as a flavoring substance or an aerosol former material, if present.

The density of the cellulose acetate tow material of the filter segment 109 controls the pressure drop across the filter segment 109, which in turn controls the resistance to suction of the article 101. Thus, the selection of the material for the filter segment 109 is important in controlling the resistance to suction of the article 101. Additionally, the filter segment performs a filtering function in the article 101.

In one embodiment, the filter segment 109 is made of 8Y15 grade filter tow material, which provides filtering effect on the heated volatile material, but also reduces the size of the condensed aerosol droplets resulting from the heated volatile material.

The presence of the filter segment 109 also provides an insulating effect by providing additional cooling to the heated volatile components exiting the cooling segment 107. This additional cooling effect reduces the contact temperature of the user's lips on the surface of the filter segment 109. In one embodiment, the filter segment 109 is between 6 mm and 10 mm in length, suitably 8 mm.

The tip segment 111 is an annular tube positioned around and defining a cavity therein. The cavity provides a chamber for heated volatiles flowing from the filter segment 109. The tip segment 111 is hollow to provide a chamber for aerosol accumulation that remains rigid enough to withstand axial compressive forces and bending moments that may occur during manufacture and during use while an article is inserted into the device 51. In one embodiment, the wall thickness of the tip segment 111 is about 0.29 mm. In one embodiment, the length of the tip segment 111 is between 6 mm and 10 mm, suitably 8 mm.

The mouthpiece segment 111 may be manufactured from a spirally wound paper tube that provides a hollow interior chamber but still maintains critical mechanical stiffness. A spirally wound paper tube can meet the tight dimensional accuracy requirements of high speed manufacturing processes with respect to tube length, outer diameter, roundness, and straightness. The mouthpiece segment 111 provides the function of preventing any liquid condensation that accumulates at the outlet of the filter segment 109 from coming into direct contact with the user.

It should be appreciated that in one embodiment, the mouthpiece segment 111 and the cooling segment 107 may be formed from a single tube, with the filter segment 109 positioned within the tube separating the mouthpiece segment 111 and the cooling segment 107.

Referring to Figures 6 and 7, there are shown partial cutaway cross-sectional and perspective views of an embodiment of article 301 having aerosol generating element 303, filter assembly 305, cooling segment 307, filter segment 309, mouthpiece segment 311, proximal end 313, distal end 315, and ventilation region 317. The reference numbers in Figures 6 and 7 are the same as the reference numbers shown in Figures 4 and 5, but increased by 200.

6 and 7, a ventilation region 317 is provided in the article 301 to allow air to flow from the exterior of the article 301 to the interior of the article 301. In one embodiment, the ventilation region 317 takes the form of one or more ventilation holes 317 formed through an outer layer of the article 301. The ventilation holes may be positioned in the cooling segment 307 to aid in cooling the article 301. In one embodiment, the ventilation region 317 includes one or more rows of holes, preferably with each row of holes arranged circumferentially along the article 301 in a cross section substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the article 301.

In one embodiment, there are between 1 and 4 rows of ventilation holes that provide ventilation to the article 301. Each row of ventilation holes may have between 12 and 36 ventilation holes 317. The ventilation holes 317 may be, for example, between 100 and 500 μm in diameter. In one embodiment, the axial separation between the rows of ventilation holes 317 is between 0.25 mm and 0.75 mm, suitably 0.5 mm.

In one embodiment, the ventilation holes 317 are of uniform size. In another embodiment, the ventilation holes 317 vary in size. The ventilation holes can be made using any suitable technique, such as one or more of the following techniques: laser techniques, mechanical drilling of the cooling segment 307, or pre-drilling of the cooling segment 307 before it is formed in the article 301. The ventilation holes 317 are positioned to provide effective cooling to the article 301.

In one embodiment, the row of ventilation holes 317 is positioned at least 11 mm from the proximal end 313 of the article, suitably between 17 mm and 20 mm from the proximal end 313 of the article 301. The location of the ventilation holes 317 is positioned such that the user does not block the ventilation holes 317 when the article 301 is in use.

Providing a row of ventilation holes between 17 mm and 20 mm from the proximal end 313 of the article 301 allows the ventilation holes 317 to be positioned on the outside of the device 1 when the article 301 is fully inserted into the device 1, as seen in Figures 9 and 10. Positioning the ventilation holes on the outside of the device allows unheated air to enter the article 301 from outside the device 1 through the ventilation holes to help cool the article 301.

The length of the cooling segment 307 is such that when the item 301 is fully inserted into the device 1, the cooling segment 307 is partially inserted into the device 1. The length of the cooling segment 307 serves a first function of providing a physical gap between the heater arrangement of the device 1 and the heat sensitive filter arrangement 309, and a second function of allowing the ventilation holes 317 to be located in the cooling segment while also being located outside the device 1 when the item 301 is fully inserted into the device 1. As can be seen in Figures 9 and 10, the majority of the cooling element 307 is located within the device 1. However, there is a portion of the cooling element 307 that extends out from the device 1. It is in this portion of the cooling element 307 that extends out from the device 1 that the ventilation holes 317 are located.

Referring now more particularly to Figures 8-10, an embodiment of device 1 is shown that is configured to heat an aerosol generating element to volatilize at least one component of said aerosol generating element, typically to form an inhalable aerosol. Device 1 is a heating device that releases compounds by heating, rather than burning, the aerosol generating element.

8 and 9, the first end 3 is sometimes referred to herein as the mouthpiece or proximal end 3 of the device 1, and the second end 5 is sometimes referred to herein as the distal end 5 of the device 1. The device 1 has an on/off button 7 that allows the device 1 as a whole to be switched on and off as desired by the user.

The device 1 includes a housing 9 for positioning and protecting various internal components of the device 1. In the illustrated embodiment, the housing 9 includes a unibody sleeve 11 that encompasses the periphery of the device 1, capped with a top panel 17 that generally defines the "top" of the device 1, and a bottom panel 19 that generally defines the "bottom" of the device 1. In another embodiment, the housing includes a front panel, a rear panel, and a pair of opposing face panels in addition to the top panel 17 and bottom panel 19.

Top panel 17 and/or bottom panel 19 may be removably secured to unibody sleeve 11 to allow easy access to the interior of device 1, or may be "permanently" secured to unibody sleeve 11 to, for example, prevent user access to the interior of device 1. In an embodiment, panels 17 and 19 are made of a plastic material including glass-filled nylon formed, for example, by injection molding, and unibody sleeve 11 is made of aluminum, although other materials and other manufacturing processes may be used.

The top panel 17 of the device 1 has an opening 20 at the mouthpiece 3 of the device 1, through which an article 101, 301 containing an aerosol generating element may be inserted into and removed from the device 1 by a user during use.

Located or secured within the housing 9 are the heater arrangement 23, the control circuit 25, and the power source 27. In this embodiment, the heater arrangement 23, the control circuit 25, and the power source 27 are laterally adjacent (i.e., adjacent when viewed from the end), and the control circuit 25 is generally located between the heater arrangement 23 and the power source 27, although other locations are possible.

The control circuitry 25 may include a controller, such as a microprocessor arrangement, configured and arranged to control the heating of the aerosol generating elements in the articles 101, 301, as discussed further below.

The power source 27 may be, for example, a battery, which may be a rechargeable battery or a non-rechargeable battery. Examples of suitable batteries include, for example, lithium ion batteries, nickel batteries (such as nickel-cadmium batteries), alkaline batteries, and/or the like. The battery 27 is electrically coupled to the heater arrangement 23 to provide power when needed and under the control of the control circuit 25 to heat the aerosol-generating element within the article (to volatilize the aerosol-generating material without burning the aerosol-generating element, as discussed).

An advantage of locating the power source 27 adjacent to the side of the heater arrangement 23 is that a physically larger power source 25 can be used without excessively lengthening the device 1 overall. As will be appreciated, a physically larger power source 25 generally has a higher capacity (i.e., the total electrical energy it can provide, often measured in ampere-hours or the like) and therefore can provide a longer battery life for the device 1.

In one embodiment, the heater arrangement 23 generally takes the form of a hollow cylindrical tube having a hollow internal heating chamber 29 into which the article 101, 301 containing the aerosol-generating material is inserted during use for heating. Various arrangements for the heater arrangement 23 are possible. For example, the heater arrangement 23 may include a single heating element or may be formed of multiple heating elements aligned along the longitudinal axis of the heater arrangement 23. Each heating element may be annular or tubular, or may be at least partially annular or partially tubular around its periphery. In an embodiment, each heating element may be a thin film heater. In another embodiment, each heating element may be made of a ceramic material. Examples of suitable ceramic materials include alumina and aluminum nitride, and silicon nitride ceramics, which may be laminated and sintered. Other heating arrangements are possible, including, for example, induction heating, infrared heater elements that heat by emitting infrared radiation, or resistive heating elements formed, for example, by resistive electrical windings.

In one particular embodiment, the heater arrangement 23 is supported by a stainless steel support tube and includes a polyimide heating element. The heater arrangement 23 is dimensioned such that when the article 101, 301 is inserted into the device 1, substantially the entire body of the aerosol generating element 103, 303 of the article 101, 301 is inserted into the heater arrangement 23.

Each heating element may be arranged to heat selected zones of the aerosol-generating material independently, for example sequentially (over time, as discussed above) or together (simultaneously) as desired.

The heater arrangement 23 in this embodiment is surrounded along at least a portion of its length by insulation 31. The insulation 31 helps to reduce heat passing from the heater arrangement 23 to the outside of the device 1. This generally reduces heat loss, and therefore helps to reduce power requirements for the heater arrangement 23. The insulation 31 also helps to keep the outside of the device 1 cool during operation of the heater arrangement 23. In one embodiment, the insulation 31 may be a double-walled sleeve that provides a low pressure area between the two walls of the sleeve. That is, the insulation 31 may be, for example, a "vacuum" tube, i.e. a tube that is at least partially evacuated to minimize heat transfer by conduction and/or convection. Other configurations for the insulation 31 are possible, including using insulation materials in addition to or instead of a double-walled sleeve, including, for example, suitable foam-type materials.

The housing 59 may further include various internal support structures 37 for supporting all of the internal components, as well as the heating arrangement 23.

The device 1 further includes a collar 33 extending around the opening 20 and projecting therefrom into the housing 9, and a generally tubular chamber 35 positioned between the collar 33 and one end of the vacuum sleeve 31. The chamber 35 further includes a cooling structure 35f including a plurality of cooling fins 35f spaced apart along the outer surface of the chamber 35, each arranged circumferentially along the outer surface of the chamber 35. When the hollow chamber 35 is inserted into the device 1 over at least a portion of its length, there is a gap 36 between the hollow chamber 35 and the article 101, 301. The gap 36 extends over at least a portion of the cooling segment 307 and around the entire circumference of the article 101, 301.

The collar 33 includes a plurality of ridges 60 arranged circumferentially around the periphery of the opening 20 and projecting into the opening 20. The ridges 60 space the opening 20 such that the opening span of the opening 20 at the location of the ridges 60 is less than the opening span of the opening 20 without the ridges 60. The ridges 60 are configured to engage the articles 101, 301 inserted into the device 51 to aid in fixation within the device 51. The open spaces (not shown) defined by adjacent pairs of the ridges 60 and the articles 101, 301 form ventilation paths around the exterior of the articles 101, 301. These ventilation paths allow hot steam escaping from the articles 101, 301 to exit the device 1 and allow cooling air to flow into the device 1 around the articles 101, 301 within the gap 36.

In operation, the article 101, 301 is removably inserted into the insertion portion 20 of the device 1, as shown in Figures 8-10. With particular reference to Figure 9, in one embodiment, the body of the aerosol generating element 103, 303 positioned toward the distal end 115, 315 of the article 101, 301 is received entirely within the heater arrangement 23 of the device 1. The proximal end 113, 313 of the article 101, 301 extends from the device 1 and acts as a mouthpiece assembly for the user.

During operation, the heater arrangement 23 heats the article 101, 301 causing at least one component of the aerosol generating element to volatilize from the body of the aerosol generating element 103, 303.

The primary flow path for the heated volatile material from the body of the aerosol generating element 103, 303 is axially through the article 103, 301, through the chamber in the cooling segment 107, 303, through the filter segment 109, 309, and through the mouthpiece segment 111, 311 to the user. In one embodiment, the temperature of the heated volatile components generated from the body of the aerosol generating element is between 60°C and 250°C, which may be higher than acceptable user inhalation temperatures. As the heated volatile material passes through the cooling segment 107, 307, it will cool and some of the volatile material will condense on the inner surface of the cooling segment 107, 307.

In the embodiment of article 301 shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, cooling air may enter cooling segment 307 through ventilation holes 317 formed in cooling segment 307. This cooling air may mix with the heated volatile components to provide additional cooling to the heated volatile components.

Methods of Generating Aerosols In another aspect of the present disclosure, methods of generating an aerosol using the non-flammable aerosol delivery system described herein are provided. In some embodiments, the methods include heating the aerosol-generating material to a temperature less than or equal to 350° C. In some embodiments, the methods include heating the aerosol-generating material to a temperature of about 220° C. to about 280° C. In some embodiments, the methods include heating at least a portion of the aerosol-generating material to a temperature of about 220° C. to about 280° C. during an operation of use. As used herein, a "operation of use" refers to a single period of use of the non-flammable aerosol delivery system by a user. An operation of use begins when power is initially provided to at least one heating unit present in the heating assembly.

The device will be ready for use after a period of time has elapsed from the start of a use operation. The use operation ends when power is no longer supplied to any of the heating elements in the aerosol generating device. The end of the use operation may coincide with the point at which the smoking article is depleted (when the total particulate matter yield (mg) in each puff may be deemed unacceptably low by the user). The operation will have a duration of multiple puffs. The operation may have a duration of 7 minutes or 6 minutes or 5 minutes or 4 minutes 30 seconds or less than 4 minutes or 3 minutes 30 seconds. In some embodiments, the use operation may have a duration of 2-5 minutes or 3-4.5 minutes or 3.5-4.5 minutes or suitably 4 minutes. The operation may be initiated by the user activating a button or switch on the device, initiating an increase in temperature in at least one heating element.

Aspects of the present invention are more fully described by the following examples, which are set forth to illustrate certain aspects of the invention and are not to be construed as limiting thereof. Unless otherwise noted, all parts and percentages are by dry weight.

Example 1. Tobacco Coated Foam Cast Sheet An example foam cast sheet embodiment (aerosol generating material) of the present disclosure is prepared according to the formulation provided in Table 1. The actual ingredients and percentages can vary depending on the desired properties of the final product.

A slurry containing the ingredients listed in Table 1 is prepared in water and aerated as described herein above. The foamed slurry is then cast onto a 22 inch wide stainless steel conveyor belt using a casting knife set at a gap opening of 2-5 mm. Tobacco material (short, 1-2 mm x 3 mm) is deposited onto the wet foam sheet and allowed to adhere to the wet slurry. The coated cast material is then dried into a sheet by conveying the coating through a 200 foot convection tunnel dryer containing multiple heating zones (e.g., in the range of 80-150°C). The sheet is dried to approximately 8-10% moisture.

The aerosol-generating material thus prepared provides a substrate that has reduced density but retains good sensory performance properties. In particular, the use of a foam-forming agent (e.g., HPMC) allows air to be incorporated into the film and reduces density.

Claims (46)

1. An aerosol-generating material in the form of a sheet having a surface, which may or may not be foamed, comprising:
(i) one or more binders, one or more foam-forming agents, or one or more binders and one or more foam-forming agents;
(ii) a filler,
(iii) an aerosol-forming material; and (iv) an aerosol-generating material comprising tobacco material embedded in the sheet or adhered to a surface of the sheet. The aerosol generating material of claim 1, wherein the sheet is foamed and the foamed sheet contains one or more foam-forming agents. The aerosol generating material of claim 2 further comprises about 1 to about 6 weight percent of a foam stabilizer. The aerosol generating material of claim 3, wherein the foam stabilizer comprises one or more surfactants or emulsifiers. The aerosol generating material of claim 3, wherein the foam stabilizer comprises sodium lauryl sulfate, sorbitan monostearate, sorbitan monooleate, polyoxyethylene sorbitan monostearate, polyethylene glycol sorbitan monooleate, cocamidopropyl betaine, lecithin, or a combination thereof. The aerosol-generating material of claim 2, further comprising a foaming agent. The foaming agent is
7. The aerosol-generating material of claim 6, comprising calcium carbonate, sodium carbonate, sodium bicarbonate, or a combination thereof; and citric acid, tartaric acid, acetic acid, aluminum sulfate, or a combination thereof. The aerosol-generating material according to claim 2, wherein the aerosol-generating material comprises about 5 to about 35% by weight of a foam-forming agent. The aerosol generating material of claim 2, wherein the foam-forming agent comprises hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC), a gum, a modified starch, maltodextrin, or a combination thereof. The aerosol generating material of claim 2, wherein the foam-forming agent comprises hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC). The aerosol-generating material of claim 1, wherein the sheet is unfoamed and the aerosol-generating material comprises one or more binders. The aerosol-generating material of claim 11, wherein the one or more binders include carboxymethylcellulose, alginate, natural gum, or combinations thereof. The aerosol-generating material of claim 1, wherein the aerosol-generating material contains about 10 to about 85% by weight of a filler. The aerosol-generating material of claim 1, wherein the filler comprises wood pulp, microcrystalline cellulose, or a combination thereof. The aerosol generating material of claim 1, comprising about 20 to about 30% by weight of the aerosol former material. The aerosol generating material of claim 1, wherein the aerosol former material comprises glycerol, propylene glycol, 1,3-propanediol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, tetraethylene glycol, 1,3-butylene glycol, erythritol, meso-erythritol, ethyl vanillate, ethyl laurate, diethyl suberate, triethyl citrate, triacetin, diacetin mixtures, benzyl benzoate, benzyl phenylacetate, tributyrin, lauryl acetate, lauric acid, myristic acid, propylene carbonate, or combinations thereof. The aerosol generating material of claim 1, wherein the aerosol former material is glycerol, propylene glycol, or a combination thereof. 10. The aerosol-generating material of claim 1, wherein the sheet has a density in the range of about 0.02 g/cm ³ to about 0.7 g/cm ³ . 1. The aerosol-generating material has the formula:
Filling value = (bulk volume/weight) x 100;
(where bulk volume is determined using a density meter).
^2. The aerosol-generating material of claim 1, having a loading value, determined by The aerosol-generating material of claim 1, wherein the aerosol-generating material has a porosity of about 100 sec/100 ml or greater, as determined using a Gurley densometer. The aerosol-generating material of claim 1, wherein the tobacco material is granular or fibrous tobacco. The aerosol-generating material of claim 21, wherein the fibrous tobacco material has a width in the range of about 1 to about 2 mm and a length of up to about 3 mm. The aerosol-generating material of claim 21, wherein the particulate tobacco material is powdered tobacco. The aerosol-generating material according to any one of claims 1 to 23, wherein the aerosol-generating material is in a laminate form. The aerosol-generating material of any one of claims 1 to 23, further comprising a topcoat of a film-forming agent disposed on a surface of the sheet and covering the tobacco material embedded in or adhered to the surface of the sheet. 26. The aerosol generating material of claim 25, wherein the film-forming agent is selected from the group consisting of hydroxypropyl cellulose, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, carboxymethyl cellulose, modified starch, maltodextrin, alginate, carrageenan, xanthan, gellan, acacia gum, tragacanth gum, monoglycerides, diglycerides, triethyl citrate, and combinations thereof. An aerosol-generating element comprising the aerosol-generating material according to any one of claims 1 to 26. The aerosol-generating element of claim 27, comprising about 10 to about 100% by weight of the aerosol-generating material. The aerosol generating element of claim 27, wherein the aerosol generating material is in the form of a corrugated sheet. The aerosol-generating element of claim 27, wherein the aerosol-generating material is in the form of chopped sheets. The aerosol generating element of claim 30, wherein the shredded sheet is blended with additional tobacco material having different properties than the tobacco material embedded in or adhered to a surface of the sheet. The aerosol-generating element of claim 31, wherein the additional tobacco material comprises reconstituted tobacco, tobacco lamina, fine cut tobacco, cut rag tobacco, or a combination thereof. The aerosol generating element of claim 29, wherein the corrugated sheet is crimped and gathered into a cylindrical rod, and the aerosol generating element further comprises a wrapping material surrounding the rod. A consumable product for use in a non-flammable aerosol delivery device, comprising the aerosol generating element of claim 27. A non-flammable aerosol delivery system comprising the consumable of claim 34 and a non-flammable aerosol delivery device, the non-flammable aerosol delivery device comprising an aerosol generating device configured to generate an aerosol from the consumable when the consumable is used with the non-flammable aerosol delivery device. A combustible aerosol delivery system comprising the consumable of claim 34 and a combustible aerosol delivery device. 1. A method of forming an aerosol-generating material in the form of a sheet having a surface and having tobacco material embedded in the sheet or adhered to the surface of the sheet, comprising:
(a)(i) one or more binders, one or more foam-forming agents, or one or more binders and one or more foam-forming agents;
(ii) a filler,
Providing a slurry comprising (iii) an aerosol former material; and (iv) a solvent;
(b) optionally aerating the slurry to form an aerated slurry;
(c) forming a layer of an optionally aerated slurry;
(d) depositing tobacco material onto the layer of optionally aerated slurry, and (e) drying the layer of optionally aerated slurry having the tobacco material deposited thereon to form an aerosol-generating material. The method of claim 37, wherein the sheet is foamed. The method of claim 38, wherein aerating the slurry comprises mixing the slurry under high shear conditions. 38. The method of claim 37, wherein preparing the slurry includes mixing the slurry under high shear conditions such that aeration occurs as part of step (a). The method of claim 38, wherein aerating the slurry comprises bubbling a gas through the slurry. 38. The method of claim 37, wherein aerating the slurry comprises adding a foaming agent to the slurry and foaming the foaming agent, thereby introducing air bubbles into the slurry. The aerosol-generating material is topcoated with a film-forming agent, and the method comprises:
38. The method of claim 37, further comprising: after (d), disposing a film-forming agent on the slurry and optionally drying the disposed film-forming agent to form a topcoated aerosol-generating material; or after (e), disposing a film-forming agent on the aerosol-generating material and optionally drying the disposed film-forming agent to form a topcoated aerosol-generating material. 44. The method of claim 43, wherein the film-forming agent is selected from the group consisting of hydroxypropyl cellulose, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, carboxymethyl cellulose, modified starch, maltodextrin, alginate, carrageenan, xanthan, gellan, acacia gum, tragacanth gum, monoglycerides, diglycerides, triethyl citrate, and combinations thereof. The aerosol-generating material is in the form of a laminate, and the method comprises:
40. The method of claim 37, further comprising, after (d), forming a second layer of the optionally aerated slurry on the layer of the optionally aerated slurry to form a layered composite; and drying the layered composite to form the aerosol-generating material in laminate form. The aerosol-generating material is in the form of a laminate, and the method comprises:
40. The method of claim 37, further comprising forming a second layer of the optionally aerated slurry on the aerosol-generating material after (e) to form a layered composite, and drying the layered composite to form the aerosol-generating material in laminate form.