Aerosol generating article

Abstract

A method of making an aerosol-generating article containing an aerosol-generating component is described. The aerosol-generating article produces an inhalable aerosol upon heating but not burning the aerosol-generating article. The method can include providing a tobacco composition, applying a pulsed electric field to the tobacco composition to thereby provide a treated tobacco composition, combining the treated tobacco composition with aerosol-generating agent to provide an aerosol-generating component comprising greater than or equal to 8% aerosol-generating agent by weight of the aerosol-generating component and forming the aerosol-generating article to include the aerosol-generating component. The pulsed electric field applied to the tobacco composition can, for instance, have a field strength of greater than or equal to about 100 V/cm and a pulse frequency of greater than or equal to about 20 Hz.

1 . A method of making an aerosol-generating article containing an aerosol-generating component, wherein the aerosol-generating article produces an inhalable aerosol upon heating but not burning the aerosol-generating article, the method comprising:
 providing a tobacco composition;   applying a pulsed electric field to the tobacco composition to thereby provide a treated tobacco composition;   combining the treated tobacco composition with aerosol-generating agent to provide an aerosol-generating component comprising greater than or equal to 8% aerosol-generating agent by weight of the aerosol-generating component; and   forming the aerosol-generating article to include the aerosol-generating component;   wherein the pulsed electric field applied to the tobacco composition has a field strength of greater than or equal to about 100V/cm and a pulse frequency of greater than or equal to about 20 Hz.   
     
     
         2 . A method according to  claim 1 , wherein the tobacco composition has a moisture content of from about 10 to 30 wt %. 
     
     
         3 . A method according to  claim 1  or  2 , wherein the treated tobacco composition has a moisture content of from about 10 to 30 wt %. 
     
     
         4 . A method according to any of  claims 1  to  3 , wherein the pulsed electric field has a pulse width of from about 10 ns to 5 s. 
     
     
         5 . A method according to any of  claims 1  to  4 , wherein the pulsed electric field has a field strength of less than about 5 kV/cm. 
     
     
         6 . A method according to any of  claims 1  to  5 , wherein the applying of the pulsed electric field is carried out for a duration of from about 10 to 600 minutes. 
     
     
         7 . A method according to any of  claims 1  to  6 , wherein the tobacco composition comprises leaf tobacco, tobacco strips, tobacco stems, ground tobacco or a combination thereof. 
     
     
         8 . A method according to any of  claims 1  to  7 , wherein combining the treated tobacco composition with the aerosol-generating agent to provide the aerosol-generating component comprises mixing the aerosol-generating agent with the treated tobacco composition. 
     
     
         9 . A method according to any of  claims 1  to  7 , wherein combining the treated tobacco composition with the aerosol-generating agent to provide an aerosol-generating component and forming the aerosol-generating article comprises providing the aerosol-generating agent in a first chamber of a housing, and providing the treated tobacco composition in a second chamber of the housing, the first chamber being in fluid communication with the second chamber. 
     
     
         10 . An aerosol-generating article for use in an aerosol-generating assembly, the aerosol-generating article containing an aerosol-generating component, the aerosol-generating component comprising:
 a treated tobacco composition, wherein the treated tobacco composition comprises tobacco to which a pulsed electric field has been applied, the pulsed electric field having a field strength of greater than or equal to about 100V/cm and a pulse frequency of greater than or equal to about 20 Hz; and   aerosol-generating agent, wherein the aerosol-generating agent is present in the aerosol-generating article in an amount of greater than or equal to about 8% by weight of the aerosol-generating article.   
     
     
         11 . An aerosol-generating article according to  claim 10 , wherein the treated tobacco composition and the aerosol-generating agent are provided as a mixture wherein the treated tobacco composition and the aerosol-generating agent are distributed evenly throughout the mixture. 
     
     
         12 . An aerosol-generating article according to  claim 10  comprising a first chamber containing the treated tobacco composition and a second chamber containing the aerosol-generating agent. 
     
     
         13 . An aerosol-generating article according to  claim 12 , wherein the first chamber is configured to be downstream of the second chamber in use in the aerosol-generating assembly. 
     
     
         14 . An aerosol-generating article according to  claim 12  or  13 , wherein the aerosol-generating agent is a liquid. 
     
     
         15 . An aerosol-generating article according to any of  claims 10  to  14 , the article having a nicotine content of from about 0.5 to 2% by weight. 
     
     
         16 . An aerosol-generating assembly comprising:
 a treated tobacco composition;   aerosol-generating agent; and   a heat source disposed to heat, but not burn, the treated tobacco composition and/or the aerosol-generating agent,   wherein the treated tobacco composition comprises tobacco to which a pulsed electric field has been applied, the pulsed electric field having a field strength of greater than or equal to about 100V/cm and a pulse frequency of greater than or equal to about 20 Hz.   
     
     
         17 . An aerosol-generating assembly according to  claim 16 , wherein the heat source comprises an electrically resistive heating element, an infrared heating element, a photonic source, an inductive heating element, or a combination thereof.