Patent Application
20240324655
This application relates to the field of e-aerosols or electronic atomization devices, and particularly relates to an e-liquid and an atomization device including the same.
Due to the pursuit of personal health, environmental protection, and convenience in use, e-cigarettes, as a substitute for traditional tobacco, are increasingly favored by consumers. By e-cigarettes or electronic atomizers, the smoke produced by burning traditional tobacco at high temperatures is replaced by an aerosol produced by atomizing a smoking material at low temperatures for users to inhale.
Current e-liquids have an undesirable throat hit, resulting in an undesirable smoking experience for users. Therefore, it is necessary to develop an e-liquid that can enhance the users' throat hit while ensuring satisfaction.
This application provides an e-liquid that can enhance users' throat hit while ensuring satisfaction, and provide users with a desirable smoking experience.
This application further provides an e-liquid that can simultaneously enhance users' throat hit and satisfaction, and can also reduce health risks brought by nicotine intake.
According to an embodiment of this application, this application provides an e-liquid, which includes nicotine and organic acids, wherein the molar ratio of protonated nicotine to unprotonated nicotine in an aerosol produced by heating and atomizing the e-liquid is 1:0.1 to 1:2.5.
According to another embodiment of this application, this application provides an atomization device including the aforementioned e-liquid.
The additional aspects and advantages of the embodiments of this application will be partially described, displayed, or explained through the implementation of the embodiments of this application in the subsequent description.
The accompanying drawings necessary to describe the embodiments of this application or the prior art to facilitate the description of the embodiments of this application are briefly described in the following figures. Obviously, the accompanying drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, drawings of other embodiments may be obtained based on the structures illustrated in these accompanying drawings without creative effort.
The embodiments of this application are described in detail below. The embodiments of this application are not to be construed as limiting this application.
In addition, sometimes quantities, ratios, and other values are presented in a range format herein. It should be understood that such range formats are for convenience and conciseness, and should be flexibly understood to include not only values explicitly designated as range limits, but also all individual values or subranges within the range, as if each value and subrange are explicitly designated.
As used herein, the terms “roughly”, “substantially”, “basically”, and “about” are used for describing and explaining minor changes. When used in conjunction with an event or circumstance, the terms may refer to examples where the event or circumstance occurs precisely and examples where the event or circumstance occurs very approximately. For example, when used in conjunction with values, the terms may refer to a range of variation of less than or equal to ±10% of the values, e.g., less than or equal to ±5%, less than or equal to ±4%, less than or equal to ±3%, less than or equal to ±2%, less than or equal to ±1%, less than or equal to ±0.5%, less than or equal to ±0.1%, or less than or equal to ±0.05%. For example, if the difference between two values is less than or equal to ±10% of the average value of the values (e.g., less than or equal to ±5%, less than or equal to ±4%, less than or equal to ±3%, less than or equal to ±2%, less than or equal to ±1%, less than or equal to ±0.5%, less than or equal to ±0.1%, or less than or equal to ±0.05%), then the two values may be considered “basically” the same.
In the detailed description and the claims, a list of items connected by the phrase “at least one of . . . ”, or other similar expressions may mean any combination of the listed items. For example, if items A and B are listed, the phrase “at least one of A and B” means only A; only B; or both A and B. In another example, if items A, B, and C are listed, the phrase “at least one of A, B, and C” means only A; only B; only C; A and B (excluding C); A and C (excluding B); B and C (excluding A); or all of A, B, and C. Item A may include one or more components. Item B may include one or more components. Item C may include one or more components.
Unless otherwise specified, the substances used in this application are all commercially available.
According to an aspect of this application, this application provides an e-liquid, which includes nicotine and organic acids, wherein the molar ratio of protonated nicotine to unprotonated nicotine in an aerosol produced by heating and atomizing the e-liquid is 1:0.01 to 1:2.5.
The inventors found that when the molar ratio of protonated nicotine to unprotonated nicotine in an aerosol produced by heating and atomizing the e-liquid is about 1:0.1 to about 1:2.5, satisfaction can be ensured while users' throat hit can be enhanced, so that the users can obtain the most desirable smoking experience in the balance between the throat hit and the satisfaction.
In some embodiments, the molar ratio of protonated nicotine to unprotonated nicotine in an aerosol produced by heating and atomizing an e-liquid is about 1:0.1 to about 1:2.5, e.g., may be about 1:0.1, about 1:0.2, about 1:0.5, about 1:0.6, about 1:0.8, about 1:0.95, about 1:1, about 1:1.5, about 1:2, 1:2.2, 1:2.5, or may be in a range of any two of the above values, e.g., about 1:0.1 to about 1:1, about 1:0.1 to about 1:0.5, or about 1:0.1 to about 1:2. When the molar ratio of protonated nicotine to unprotonated nicotine in an aerosol is less than 1:0.1, the satisfaction is desirable, but the throat hit is undesirable. When the molar ratio of protonated nicotine to unprotonated nicotine in an aerosol is greater than 1:2.5, the throat hit is desirable, but the satisfaction is undesirable.
The inventors further found that the molar ratio of organic acids to nicotine in the e-liquid affects the ratio of protonated nicotine to unprotonated nicotine in the aerosol. Excessive organic acids may reduce the throat hit, but make more nicotine protonated, so that nicotine can easily pass through the blood brain barrier and enhance the satisfaction. Less organic acids may increase the proportion of unprotonated nicotine in the aerosol, and enhance the users' throat hit and smoking experience. Therefore, the molar ratio of the organic acids to the nicotine in the e-liquid according to this application is about 0.1:1 to about 2:1.
In some embodiments, the molar ratio of the organic acids to the nicotine is about 0.1:1 to about 2:1. In some embodiments, the molar ratio of the organic acids to the nicotine may be about 0.1:1, about 0.2:1, about 0.3:1, about 0.4:1, about 0.5:1, about 0.6:1, about 0.7:1, about 0.8:1, about 0.9:1, about 1:1, about 1.1:1, about 1.2:1, about 1.3:1, about 1.4:1, about 1.5:1, about 1.6:1, about 1.7:1, about 1.8:1, about 1.9:1, about 2:1, or may be in a range of any two of the above values, e.g., about 0.1:1 to about 0.5:1, about 0.1:1 to about 1:1, about 0.5:1 to about 1.5:1, about 0.5:1 to about 2:1, or about 1:1 to about 2:1.
The inventors further found that the type and proportions of organic acids may also affect the ratio of protonated nicotine to unprotonated nicotine in the aerosol. Adding benzoic acid, levulinic acid, and lactic acid that have different boiling point characteristics in certain proportions to the e-liquid may further enhance the users' throat hit while ensuring satisfaction. Due to different boiling point characteristics of benzoic acid, levulinic acid, and lactic acid, the three acids in different proportions are different in the order of volatilization when heated, resulting in different proportions of protonated nicotine and unprotonated nicotine in an aerosol, and further affecting the throat hit. Specifically, benzoic acid, levulinic acid, lactic acid, and nicotine are all independently atomized. The boiling points of the three acids are different from that of nicotine. The contents of acids in the first, middle, and last sections of the aerosol produced by heating and volatilizing are different. The proportions of protonated nicotine produced by the combination of the acids with the nicotine are also different, and the proportions of salts produced by the combination of the three acids with the nicotine are also different. Therefore, in this application, the proportions of the three acids are adjusted to achieve a similar throat hit in the first, middle, and last sections of the aerosol, thereby enabling a smoker to obtain a smooth throat hit.
In some embodiments, the organic acids include at least one of benzoic acid, levulinic acid, lactic acid, citric acid, lauric acid, malic acid and succinic acid. The inventors found that by a proper combination of the organic acids in the e-liquid, the distribution of protonated nicotine produced in an aerosol can be more balanced.
The inventors further found that the molecular structures of the benzoic acid, the levulinic acid and the lactic acid may make the e-liquid have a better mouthfeel. In some embodiments, the organic acids include benzoic acid, levulinic acid, and lactic acid in a molar ratio of (0.5-1.5):(0.1-0.3):(0.5-1.1). In some embodiments, the molar ratio of the benzoic acid to the levulinic acid to the lactic acid may be (0.5-1):(0.1-0.3):(0.5-1), or (0.5-1):(0.1-0.2):(0.5-1). For example, in some embodiments, the molar ratio of the benzoic acid to the levulinic acid to the lactic acid may be 1.5:0.2:1, 1.5:0.2:0.75, 1:0.2:1, 1:0.2:0.5, 1:0.2:0.75, 1:0.3:0.75, 1:0.1:0.75, 1:0.2:1.02, 0.5:0.2:1, 0.5:0.2:0.5, 0.5:0.2:0.75, 0.5:0.1:1, or the like.
In some embodiments, on the basis of the benzoic acid, the levulinic acid and the lactic acid, the organic acids may further include at least one additional acid selected from citric acid, lauric acid, malic acid or succinic acid. The inventors found that by a proper combination of the types of the organic acids in the e-liquid, the distribution of protonated nicotine produced in an aerosol can be more balanced.
In some embodiments, based on the total weight of the e-liquid, the weight percentage of the at least one additional acid in the e-liquid is about 0% to about 4.5%, e.g., about 0%, about 0.1%, about 0.12%, about 0.14%, about 0.15%, about 0.17%, about 0.2%, about 0.3%, about 0.4%, about 0.5%, about 1%, about 1.5%, about 2%, about 2.5%, about 3%, about 3.5%, about 4%, about 4.5%, or may be in a range of any two of the above values, e.g., about 0% to about 1%, about 0.05% to about 0.2%, about 0.1% to about 0.3%, about 0.1% to about 0.5%, about 1% to about 2%, about 0.5% to about 3%, or about 1% to about 4.5%.
In some embodiments, the organic acids at least include benzoic acid, and based on the total weight of the e-liquid, the weight percentage of the benzoic acid is about 0.1% to about 0.5%. For example, in some embodiments, based on the total weight of the e-liquid, the weight percentage of the benzoic acid is about 0.1%, about 0.11%, about 0.15%, about 0.18%, about 0.2%, about 0.22%, about 0.25%, about 0.28%, about 0.3%, about 0.33%, about 0.35%, about 0.38%, about 0.4%, about 0.42%, about 0.45%, about 0.48%, or about 0.5%, or may be in a range of any two of the above values, e.g., about 0.11% to about 0.22%, about 0.11% to about 0.33%, about 0.11% to about 0.45%, or the like.
In some embodiments, the organic acids at least include levulinic acid, and based on the total weight of the e-liquid, the weight percentage of the levulinic acid is about 0.001% to about 0.5%, e.g., may be about 0.001%, 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 0.1%, about 0.12%, about 0.15%, about 0.2%, about 0.25%, about 0.3%, about 0.35%, about 0.4%, about 0.45%, about 0.5%, or may be in a range of any two of the above values, e.g., about 0.001% to about 0.05%, about 0.01% to about 0.05%, about 0.03% to about 0.07%, about 0.1% to about 0.5%, about 0.2% to about 0.5%, or the like.
In some embodiments, the organic acids at least include lactic acid, and based on the total weight of the e-liquid, the weight percentage of the lactic acid is about 0.01% to about 0.5%, e.g., about 0.01%, about 0.05%, about 0.08%, about 0.1%, about 0.12%, about 0.15%, about 0.16%, about 0.2%, about 0.25%, about 0.3%, about 0.35%, about 0.4%, about 0.45%, or about 0.5%, or may be in a range of any two of the above values, e.g., about 0.01% to about 0.1%, about 0.08% to about 0.12%, about 0.08% to about 0.165%, about 0.1% to about 0.5%, about 0.01% to about 0.5%, or about 0.08% to about 0.45%.
In some embodiments, based on the total weight of the e-liquid, the weight percentage of nicotine is greater than about 0% and less than or equal to about 6%. For example, in some embodiments, based on the total weight of the e-liquid, the weight percentage of nicotine is about 0%, about 0.5%, about 1%, about 1.5%, about 1.55%, about 2%, about 2.5%, about 3%, about 3.5%, about 4%, about 4.5%, about 5%, about 5.5%, about 6%, or may be in a range of any two of the above values, e.g., less than or equal to about 1.55%, less than or equal to about 3%, about 1.55% to about 3%, about 1% to about 3%, about 0.5% to about 2%, about 2% to about 6%, or the like.
According to another aspect of this application, this application further provides an e-liquid, which includes organic acids, nicotine and cotinine.
Cotinine is the main metabolite of nicotine absorbed by a human body. Although nicotine and cotinine are very similar in structure, the two compounds have significantly different effects on the nervous system.
The inventors' research found that cotinine and nicotine have a synergistic effect. Adding cotinine and nicotine together into the e-liquid may effectively enhance the satisfaction of users. Therefore, the e-liquid of this application may further include cotinine on the basis of nicotine, benzoic acid, levulinic acid and lactic acid to simultaneously enhance the users' throat hit and satisfaction. Moreover, the addition of cotinine to the e-liquid of this application may reduce the amount of nicotine, reduce the nicotine intake of users, and thus reduce the health risk brought by nicotine to users.
In some embodiments, based on the total weight of the e-liquid, the weight percentage of cotinine in the e-liquid is about 0% to about 4.5%, e.g., may be about 0%, about 0.1%, about 0.5%, about 1%, about 1.5%, about 2%, about 2.5%, about 3%, about 3.5%, about 4%, about 4.5%, or may be in a range of any two of the above values, e.g., about 0% to about 1%, about 0% to about 2%, about 0.1% to about 1.5%, about 0.1% to about 3%, about 1% to about 2%, about 1% to about 3%, about 2% to about 4%, or the like.
In some embodiments, the molar ratio of the cotinine to the nicotine is about 0.1:1 to about 1.5:1. In some embodiments, the molar ratio of the cotinine to the nicotine may be about 0.1:1, about 0.2:1, about 0.3:1, about 0.4:1, about 0.5:1, about 0.6:1, about 0.7:1, about 0.8:1, about 0.9:1, about 1:1, about 1.1:1, about 1.2:1, about 1.3:1, about 1.4:1, about 1.5:1, or may be in a range of any two of the above values, e.g., about 0.1:1 to about 0.5:1, about 0.1:1 to about 1:1, about 0.5:1 to about 1.5:1, about 0.5:1 to about 1:1, or about 1:1 to about 1.5:1.
In some embodiments, based on the total weight of the e-liquid, the weight percentage of the nicotine is greater than 0% and less than or equal to 6%, the weight percentage of the cotinine is greater than 0% and less than or equal to 4.5%, and the weight percentage of the organic acids is 0.1% to 1%.
In some embodiments, the e-liquid further includes a cooling agent. In some embodiments, the cooling agent includes at least one of menthol, menthone, isomenthone, isopulegol, menthyl acetate, menthyl lactate, WS-23 (N,2,3-trimethyl-2-isopropylbutylamide), WS-3 (N-ethyl-p-menthyl-3-formamide), WS-5 (N-(ethoxycarbonylmethyl)-p-menthane-3-formamide), and WS-12 (N-(4-methoxyphenyl)-p-menthyl-3-carboxamide).
In some embodiments, based on the total weight of the e-liquid, the weight percentage of the cooling agent in the e-liquid may be about 0.001% to about 10%, e.g., about 0.001%, about 0.01%, about 0.05%, about 0.1%, about 0.5%, about 1%, about 1.5%, about 3%, about 5%, about 5%, about 7%, about 10%, or may be in a range of any two of the above values, e.g., about 0.001% to about 1%, about 0.001% to about 5%, about 0.01% to about 1%, about 0.01% to about 10%, about 0.1% to about 5%, about 0.1% to about 10%, or about 1% to about 10%.
In some embodiments, the e-liquid further includes essence. In some embodiments, the essence includes, but is not limited to, grape essence, apple essence, peach essence, green tea essence, mint essence and other commercially available edible essences.
In some embodiments, the essence may include at least one of d-limonene, benzyl alcohol, ethyl butyrate, linalool, isobutyl acetate, isoamyl acetate, benzyl benzoate, leaf alcohol, ethyl propionate, citral, y-decalactone, decanal, ethyl acetate, ethyl 2-methylbutyrate, 2-methylbutyl acetate, 2-methylbutyraldehyde, myrcene, ethyl hexanoate, peach aldehyde, ethyl isovalerate, leaf acetate, acetic acid, and benzaldehyde.
In some embodiments, based on the total weight of the e-liquid, the weight percentage of the essence in the e-liquid is about 0.001% to about 10%, e.g., may be about 0.001%, about 0.01%, about 0.05%, about 0.1%, about 0.5%, about 1%, about 3%, about 5%, about 7%, about 10%, or may be in a range of any two of the above values, e.g., about 0.001% to about 1%, about 0.01% to about 1%, about 0.01% to about 5%, about 0.01% to about 10%, about 0.1% to about 5%, about 0.1% to about 10%, or about 1% to about 10%.
The e-liquid further includes a base solvent, which includes propylene glycol and glycerol (glycerin). In some embodiments, based on the total weight of the e-liquid, the weight percentage of the propylene glycol in the e-liquid is about 15% to 60%, e.g., may be about 15%, about 20%, about 25%, about 30%, about 35%, about 40%, about 50%, about 60%, or may be in a range of any two of the above values, e.g., about 15% to 30%, about 20% to 50%, or about 30% to 60%. In some embodiments, based on the total weight of the e-liquid, the weight percentage of the glycerol in the e-liquid may be about 30% to about 70%, e.g., may be about 30%, about 35%, about 40%, about 45%, about 50%, about 55%, about 60%, about 65%, about 70%, or may be in a range of any two of the above values, e.g., about 30% to 50%, about 40% to 60%, or about 50% to 70%.
In some embodiments, the weight percentage of the propylene glycol in the e-liquid is about 20% to about 60%, and the weight percentage of the glycerol in the e-liquid is about 40% to about 70%, to achieve the most optimal atomization effect of the e-liquid and enhance the user experience.
Those skilled in the art should understand that the base solvent may be any known solvent in the art according to specific needs, e.g., deionized water, propylene glycol, and glycerol, without being limited thereto.
According to some embodiments of this application, this application provides a method for preparing the e-liquid, which includes the following steps: adding benzoic acid, levulinic acid, lactic acid, and nicotine in specific proportions within the ranges provided in the embodiments to a base e-liquid, and mixing the components evenly to obtain the e-liquid. In some embodiments, benzoic acid, levulinic acid, lactic acid, nicotine, cotinine, essence and/or a cooling agent are added in certain proportions to a base e-liquid and mixed evenly to obtain the e-liquid.
According to another aspect of this application, this application provides an atomization device including the e-liquid according to any of the aforementioned embodiments. The e-liquid may be atomized by the atomization device to produce an aerosol for users to inhale.
In some embodiments, the atomization device includes an e-cigarette, an ultrasonic atomizer, or a mesh atomizer.
This application will be illustrated through the following examples to facilitate a better understanding. The examples belong to the scope of protection of this application, but do not limit the scope of protection of this application.
Preparation of a Base e-Liquid:
Propylene glycol, glycerol, a cooling agent and essence were mixed evenly in a ratio of 53.5:44:2:0.5 by weight to obtain the base e-liquid.
The cooling agent was WS-23, and the essence was grape essence.
Preparation of an e-Liquid:
Nicotine, organic acids (and optionally cotinine) were mixed evenly and added to the base e-liquid to obtain the e-liquid for testing. The respective weight percentages of the nicotine, the organic acids (and optionally the cotinine) in the e-liquid according to comparative examples and examples are shown in Table 1 below. Example 15 further includes succinic acid.
After the e-liquids according to the aforementioned comparative examples and examples were prepared, electrophysiological tests and mouthfeel scoring tests were conducted. The electrophysiological test results are shown in
The cells were co-transfected with acetylcholine receptor α4 and β2 subunits and cultured for 24 hours before the electrophysiological tests were conducted. Using a micropipette puller (PP-10, Narishige), a micropipette was obtained through a two-step pulling process. After ordinary potassium intracellular fluid (KCl 120 mM, NaCl 30 mM, HEPES 10 mM, CaCl2) 0.5 mM, MgCl2 1 mM, and EGTA 5 mM, with the pH adjusted to 7.2 using Tris-base, and filtered for use) was injected into the micropipette, the water inlet resistance was 3-5 MQ. The formula of the extracellular fluid included NaCl 150 mM, glucose (Glucose·H2O) 10 mM, HEPES 10 mM, CaCl2) 2 mM, KCl 5 mM, and MgCl2 1 mM, with the pH adjusted to 7.4 using Tris-base. All whole cell currents were recorded using an Axon 200B amplifier, and Clampfit in a voltage clamp mode. The clamping voltage was-60 mv, the sampling frequency was 10 kHz, and filtering was conducted under 2 kHz. Administration was conducted twice on a same cell. 100 μM acetylcholine (Ach) was administered for the first time, with an induced inward current as a pre-control. The diluents of the e-liquids according to different examples or comparative examples (the e-liquids according to the examples and comparative examples all were diluted by 10,000 times) were administered for the second time. The currents generated by the second administration were compared with the currents induced by the first administration of Ach to obtain normalized currents of the different examples or comparative examples.
Statistical method: 1,000 users were randomly selected to test the e-liquids according to the aforementioned examples and comparative examples through e-cigarettes. After the use tests, the users' satisfaction and throat hit were evaluated. The evaluation standard was based on a total score of 10 points. The more desirable the satisfaction or throat hit, the higher the score.
The respective weight percentages of the nicotine, the benzoic acid, the levulinic acid, and the lactic acid (and optionally the cotinine) in the e-liquids according to the examples are shown below. After the e-liquids according to the aforementioned examples were prepared, electrophysiological tests and mouthfeel scoring tests were conducted. The electrophysiological test results are shown in
From the comparative examples and examples in Table 1 and Table 2, it can be seen that controlling the molar ratio of protonated nicotine to unprotonated nicotine in the aerosol of the e-liquid in a range of 1:0.1 to 1:2.5 may achieve desirable satisfaction and throat hit.
From Example 4 to Example 6 and
By adding the nicotine and the organic acids to the e-liquid according to this application and controlling the molar ratio of the protonated nicotine and the unprotonated nicotine in the aerosol of the e-liquid, the throat hit of the e-liquid can be effectively improved and the satisfaction is further enhanced. Therefore, the e-liquid according to this application not only provides users with satisfaction, but also brings appropriate throat hit, resulting in a desirable smoking experience.
By adding cotinine and nicotine, the e-liquid according to this application enhances the satisfaction of users, reduces the amount of nicotine, and thus reduces health risks brought by nicotine intake.
The references to “some embodiments,” “partial embodiments,” “one embodiment,” “another example,” “examples,” “specific examples,” or “partial examples” throughout the entire specification mean that at least one embodiment or example in this application includes specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described in that embodiment or example. Therefore, the descriptions, such as “in some embodiments,” “in embodiments,” “in one embodiment,” “in another example,” “in one example,” “in a specific example,” or “examples,” appearing throughout the entire specification do not necessarily refer to the same embodiments or examples in this application. In addition, specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics herein may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments or examples.
Although illustrative embodiments have been demonstrated and described, those skilled in the art should understand that the aforementioned embodiments cannot be interpreted as limiting this application, and can be changed, replaced and modified without departing from the spirit, principles, and scope of this application.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 202011438700.0 | Dec 2020 | CN | national |
This application is a national stage application filed under 35 U.S.C 371 of International Application No. PCT/CN2021/120662 filed Sep. 26, 2021, which claims priority to China Patent Application 202011438700.0 filed Dec. 7, 2020. The disclosures of the above applications are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/CN2021/120662 | 9/26/2021 | WO |
