JP2022177327A - liquid for atomization - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a liquid for atomization that can form visible smoke having high visibility, with the highly visible state lasting for a long time; and a non-heating flavor inhaler including an atomization section for atomizing the liquid for atomization.SOLUTION: Provided are a liquid for atomization containing nicotine, fatty acid triglyceride, an emulsifier, and a water-based aerosol source; and a non-heating flavor inhaler 1000 including a liquid storage section 1200A, 1200B for storing the liquid for atomization and an atomization section 1100 that atomizes the liquid for atomization and does not have a heating mechanism.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to atomizing liquids, and more particularly to atomizing liquids for flavored inhalers containing nicotine.

Non-combustion flavor inhalers use, for example, glycerin, propylene glycol, or water as an aerosol source. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an electronic cigarette that heats a liquid material containing glycerin. Further, Patent Document 2 discloses a non-combustion type flavor inhaler provided with a capsule containing water, fatty acid triglyceride, and flavor. The user breaks the capsule and inhales the scent inside the capsule. In this case, the fatty acid triglyceride acts as a perfume diluent. In addition, as a liquid material containing fatty acid triglyceride, Patent Document 3 discloses a gastrointestinal smooth muscle peristalsis inhibitor containing water, fatty acid triglyceride, and an emulsifier, but the inclusion of nicotine and the suggestion of flavor inhalation are not disclosed. Nothing.

By the way, when using a non-combustion type flavor inhaler, the visibility of visible smoke is high, and if the visibility of the visible smoke is high (high persistence), the user tends to get high satisfaction. It is in. Therefore, there is a demand for a non-combustion type flavor inhaler that has high visibility of visible smoke and that can maintain the high visibility.

JP 2018-078902 A US patent application 2017/064995 Patent No. 4526120

In a non-heated flavor inhaler that uses vibration such as ultrasonic vibration, the aerosol source must have a low viscosity from the viewpoint of aerosol generation efficiency, and an aerosol source containing water as the main component is used. However, the inventors found that when an aerosol source containing water as a main component is used, the visibility of visible smoke is lower than when an aerosol source containing glycerin or propylene glycol as a main component is used, and the visible smoke It has been found that the user may not obtain sufficient satisfaction due to the short duration of . In view of such circumstances, it is an object of the present invention to provide an atomizing liquid capable of forming visible smoke with high visibility and maintaining high visibility for a long period of time.

The inventors have found that an atomizing liquid comprising a water-based aerosol source, nicotine, fatty acid triglycerides and an emulsifier solves the above problems. That is, the above problems are solved by the present invention described below.
(Aspect 1)
A nebulizable liquid comprising nicotine, a fatty acid triglyceride, an emulsifier, and a water-based aerosol source.
(Aspect 2)
The atomizing liquid according to aspect 1, wherein the nicotine concentration in the atomizing liquid is 5% by weight or less.
(Aspect 3)
The atomizing liquid according to aspect 1 or 2, wherein the concentration of the fatty acid triglyceride in the atomizing liquid is 10% by weight or less.
(Aspect 4)
4. The atomizing liquid according to any of aspects 1-3, wherein the aerosol source comprises 80% or more water by weight in the aerosol source.
(Aspect 5)
The atomizing liquid according to any one of aspects 1 to 4, wherein the atomizing liquid contains 70% by weight or more of water in the liquid.
(Aspect 6)
The atomizing liquid according to any one of aspects 1 to 5, wherein all fatty acid-derived aliphatic groups in the fatty acid triglyceride have 6 or more carbon atoms.
(Aspect 7)
7. The atomizing liquid according to any of aspects 1-6, further comprising a perfume.
(Aspect 8)
A non-heating flavor inhaler comprising a liquid storage section for storing the liquid for atomization according to aspects 1 to 7, and an atomization section for atomizing the liquid for atomization.
(Aspect 9)
9. The non-heated flavor inhaler according to aspect 8, wherein the atomization section comprises a vibrating atomization mechanism.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an atomizing liquid capable of forming visible smoke that has high visibility and that maintains high visibility for a long period of time.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an outline of the atomizing liquid of the present invention and its atomized product; A diagram showing one embodiment of the non-heating flavor inhaler of the present invention. A diagram for explaining members arranged between the top cover and the bottom cover of the atomizing section. A diagram for explaining the connection relationship between the atomizing section and the liquid storage section. Enlarged view showing part of the atomizing part Diagram showing how to measure the duration of visible smoke

The present invention will be described in detail below. In the present invention, "X to Y" includes X and Y which are the end values.

1. Atomizing Liquid (1) Nicotine Although the origin of nicotine is not limited, it is preferably derived from tobacco materials. Nicotine has the effect of increasing the visibility of visible smoke formed from the atomizing liquid and the duration of the high visibility of the visible smoke. However, excessively high concentrations of nicotine in the atomizing liquid result in an undesirable flavor. From this point of view, the nicotine concentration in the atomizing liquid is preferably 0.1-5% by weight, more preferably 0.5-2% by weight.

(2) Fatty acid triglyceride Fatty acid triglyceride is a compound in which fatty acids are ester-bonded to three hydroxy groups in glycerin, and is represented by the following formula.

R ¹ to R ³ are aliphatic groups derived from fatty acids, and although the number of carbon atoms is not limited, each preferably has 6 or more. Although the upper limit of the number of carbon atoms is not limited, it is preferably 12 or less. If the number of carbon atoms is too large, the dispersion stability in liquid will decrease. From this point of view, the number of carbon atoms in the three aliphatic groups of the fatty acid triglyceride is preferably within the above range. Such fatty acid triglycerides are also called medium-chain fatty acid triglycerides. In addition, the medium-chain fatty acid triglyceride has a feature that the user does not feel any taste or smell when smoking.

The concentration of fatty acid triglyceride in the liquid for atomization is not limited, but if the concentration of fatty acid triglyceride is too high, the viscosity of the liquid increases. The problem arises that the quantity is reduced. From these points of view, the upper limit of the concentration in the atomizing liquid is preferably 10% by weight or less, more preferably 5% by weight or less. Although the lower limit of the concentration is not limited, it is preferably 1% by weight or more, more preferably 2% by weight or more.

(3) Emulsifiers Emulsifiers have an affinity for both water in the atomizing liquid and the hydrophobic substances nicotine and fatty acid triglycerides. Known emulsifiers can be used, for example anionic surfactants (e.g. sodium lauryl sulfate, alkyl ether carboxylate), cationic surfactants (e.g. benzalkonium chloride), amphoteric surfactants (e.g. , lecithin), or nonionic surfactants (e.g., polyglycerol fatty acid esters, sucrose fatty acid esters, calcium stearoyl lactylate, sorbitan fatty acid esters, propylene glycol fatty acid esters, polyoxyethylene alkyl ethers, polyoxyethylene sorbitan fatty acid esters, saponin) and the like can be used. The emulsifier concentration in the atomizing liquid is not limited, but is preferably 2% by weight or less, more preferably 1% by weight or less. Although the lower limit of the concentration is not limited, it is preferably 0.1% by weight or more, more preferably 0.2% by weight or more.

(4) Aerosol Source In the present invention, an aerosol source containing water as a main component is used. The phrase “water is the main component” means that the aerosol source contains 70% by weight or more of water. Water is preferably 80% or more by weight of the total aerosol source. Aerosol sources other than water include, for example, glycerin and propylene glycol. These amounts are preferably less than 30%, more preferably less than 20% by weight in the aerosol source. Alternatively, the aerosol source may consist of water only. Moreover, it is preferable that water accounts for 70% by weight or more in the atomizing liquid. Since water preferably does not contain impurities, ion-exchanged water or the like can be used.

(5) Other Ingredients The atomizing liquid of the present invention may contain fragrances known in the art. The perfume includes, but is not limited to, menthol. The amount can be a known amount, but is preferably 8% by weight or less, more preferably 5% by weight or less in the atomizing liquid. The lower limit of the concentration is not limited, and other ingredients (perfume) may not be included. In the present invention, the perfume does not contain nicotine.

(6) Mechanism The mechanism by which the above-mentioned atomizing liquid can increase the visibility of visible smoke and the duration of the state in which the visibility of visible smoke is high is not limited, but is presumed as follows. First, as shown in FIG. 1, an atomizing liquid 1 is a finely dispersed oil droplet 4 of a hydrophobic substance (nicotine or fatty acid triglyceride) having a low vapor pressure in an aerosol source 2 mainly composed of water. It is thought to have structure. The oil droplets are stably present by the emulsifier 6 . Next, the atomizing liquid is atomized to form an atomized substance in which the particles 1' aggregate. In one embodiment, the diameter of the particles 1' is 0.1-10 μm, and the diameter of the oil droplets 4 present in the particles 1' is 0.01-1 μm. In the particles 1', the oil droplets 4 act as nuclei to suppress the evaporation of the aerosol source 2 around them. Furthermore, even after the aerosol source 2 evaporates, only the oil droplets 4 remain in place without evaporating due to their low vapor pressure. be done.

2. Non-heating flavor inhaler The non-heating flavor inhaler comprises a liquid storage part for storing the liquid for atomization and an atomization part for atomizing the liquid for atomization, and the flavor contained in the liquid for atomization It is a device that allows the component to be inhaled. The atomizing part can be provided with a vibration generating mechanism capable of applying vibration to the atomizing liquid. An atomizing section equipped with a vibration generating mechanism is preferable because of its high atomization efficiency. It is preferable that the atomizing section does not have a heating mechanism. By providing an atomizing part without a heating mechanism, it becomes possible to inhale flavor components that are not suitable for heating. The heating mechanism is a mechanism capable of atomizing the atomizing liquid by itself. For example, the temperature of the liquid vibrated by the vibration generating mechanism may rise, but the vibration generating mechanism in this case does not correspond to the heating mechanism.

Also, the atomizing section may be provided with an auxiliary heating mechanism. "Auxiliary heating mechanism" refers to a heating mechanism that can heat the atomizing liquid, but cannot, by itself, atomize the atomizing liquid. An auxiliary heating mechanism is, for example, a heating mechanism that does not heat the atomizing liquid to its boiling point.

FIG. 2 shows one embodiment of the non-heating flavor inhaler. In the figure, 1000 is a non-heating flavor inhaler, 1001D is a mouthpiece, 1100 is an atomizing part, 1200A and 1200B are liquid storage parts, 1202 is a housing, 1102 and 1104 are openings, and 1106 is the top surface of the atomizing part. A cover, 1107 is a bottom cover of the atomizing part, and 1004 is a screw. Liquid reservoirs 1200A and 1200B are housed in housings provided in housing 1202, and atomizing section 1100 and mouthpiece 1001D are connected in this order to the top surface of housing 1202 using screws 1004. FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, the atomizing section 1100 is covered by an atomizing section top cover 1106 and an atomizing section bottom cover 1107 . FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining members arranged between the top cover 1106 of the atomizing part and the bottom cover 1107 of the atomizing part in the atomizing part 1100 . As shown in FIG. 3, the atomizing section 1100 has a PCB board 1109, a piezoelectric element substrate 1031 having a comb electrode pair 1033, and a pair of guide walls 1711A and 1711B. Although not shown, a top cover may be arranged above these members, and a base member or the like may be arranged below them. Furthermore, sensors and sealing members may be arranged between these members and the top cover as required. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the connection relationship between the atomizing section and the liquid storage section. For the sake of simplification, only the liquid reservoir 1200A is shown in the figure, but actually the liquid reservoir 1200B is also connected to the atomization section 1100. FIG. As shown in FIG. 4, liquid storage section 1200A and atomization section 1100 are connected such that a liquid discharge section provided on the top surface of liquid storage section 1200A communicates with through hole 1713A. FIG. 5 is an enlarged view showing a part of the atomizing section 1100 shown in FIG. Specifically, in FIG. 5, of the atomizing section 1100 shown in FIG. 1070 and .

The atomizing section 1100 has a piezoelectric element substrate 1031 having a comb-shaped electrode pair 1033, and is configured to atomize liquid by surface acoustic waves (SAW) generated by applying a high-frequency voltage to the comb-shaped electrode pair 1033. be done. The surface acoustic waves atomize the atomizing liquid in liquid reservoirs 1200A and 1200B, and the atomized material reaches the mouthpiece.

The piezoelectric element substrate 1031 is configured to atomize liquid by SAW generated by applying a voltage at a high frequency (resonant frequency) to the comb electrode pair 1033 .

The piezoelectric element substrate 1031 includes a piezoelectric body that expands and contracts when voltage is applied. As the piezoelectric body, a known piezoelectric body made of ceramic such as quartz, barium titanate, lithium niobate, or the like can be used.

The comb-shaped electrode pair 1033 is electrically connected to a power supply (not shown) provided in the housing 1202 and supplied with power. For example, the comb-shaped electrode pair 1033 is made of metal plated with gold.

The piezoelectric element substrate 1031 has a pair of edges 1031A and 1031B facing each other. The guide wall 1711A is provided on the edge 1031A side of the piezoelectric element substrate 1031, and the guide wall 1711B is provided on the edge 1031B side. The guide walls 1711A, 1711B respectively have through holes 1713A, 1713B extending between the upper surface and the lower surface. Moreover, the guide walls 1711A and 1711B respectively have recesses 1714A and 1714B communicating with the through holes 1713A and 1713B. As shown in FIG. 4, liquid reservoirs 1200A and 1200B are connected to the lower surfaces of guide walls 1711A and 1711B, respectively. Atomizing liquids supplied from liquid reservoirs 1200A and 1200B by syringe pumps (not shown) pass through through-holes 1713A and 1713B from bottom to top, respectively, and reach recesses 1714A and 1714B. The liquid that has reached the recesses 1714A and 1714B reaches the edges 1031A and 1031B of the piezoelectric element substrate 1031 and is atomized by the energy of the comb-shaped electrode pair 1033 . That is, the syringe pump is configured to supply the atomizing liquid to the edges 1031A, 1031B of the piezoelectric element substrate 1031 .

Such a non-heating flavor inhaler is disclosed, for example, in PCT/JP2019/015377. In addition, although the figure shows an aspect in which there are two liquid storage units, the number of liquid storage units may be one.

In addition to the one shown in FIG. 2, as the non-heating flavor inhaler, for example, one equipped with an atomizing part having a vibration generating mechanism using ultrasonic vibrations can also be used. Such atomizing units are used in ultrasonic nebulizers (eg, NE-U17 and NE-U22 manufactured by Omron).

As the non-heating flavor inhaler, one having an atomizing part using a nozzle can also be used. The atomizing section includes a liquid storage section, a nozzle for discharging compressed air, and a water absorption pipe provided adjacent to the nozzle and communicating with the liquid holding section for atomization, and the compressed air is discharged from the nozzle. The atomizing liquid is atomized by the pressure difference generated between the nozzle part and the water absorption pipe when the nozzle part is pressed. Such an atomizing part is used in a compressor type nebulizer or the like.

The "non-heating flavor inhaler" in the present invention may have a heating mechanism in a portion other than the atomizing portion. For example, in the flavor inhaler of FIG. 2, a heating mechanism for heating the liquid may be provided around the liquid reservoirs 1200A and 1200B, or a heating mechanism may be provided in the channel of the mouthpiece 1001D.

[Example 1]
5 g of Coconard (registered trademark) MT (C ₈ /C ₁₀ acid triglyceride) manufactured by Kao Corporation as a medium-chain fatty acid triglyceride, 5 g of emulsifier (Emsol S-120V manufactured by Kao Corporation), 10 g of nicotine, and 480 g of water were mixed and mixed with a homogenizer (Atech). It was emulsified with Dostormix B DMM (Japan Co., Ltd.). The resulting liquid was further emulsified at a pressure of 50 MPa using a high-pressure homogenizer (PANDA plus 2000, manufactured by NIRO SOAVI) to obtain a liquid for atomization.

An apparatus as shown in FIG. 6 was prepared. In the figure, 200 is a nebulizer (mesh type nebulizer NE-U22 (manufactured by Omron Co., Ltd.)), 202 is a laser source, 204 is a light receiving part, 206 is a transparent chamber (5 cm×5 cm×24 cm), and 208 is a tube. The liquid-filled portion of the nebulizer 200 was filled with the nebulizing liquid and atomized to generate smoke. The smoke was sucked from above the chamber for 2 seconds at a rate of 55 ml/2 sec. A laser was irradiated at a position 8.5 cm from the bottom of the chamber from the start of suction (after 0 seconds had passed), and the light transmittance of the central portion of the chamber 206 after 5 seconds passed was measured. The light transmittance was evaluated using a Malvern Spraytec equipped with a laser source 202 and a light receiving section 204 . However, the light transmittance of the chamber without smoke was taken as 100%. Table 1 shows the results. A lower light transmittance indicates a higher visibility of visible smoke. In addition, the light transmittance was continuously measured from the start of suction (after 0 seconds had passed) to 30 seconds later, and the total length of time during which the light transmittance was 85% or less until 30 seconds passed ( T) was recorded. Table 1 shows the results.

[Example 2]
Evaluation was carried out in the same manner as in Example 1, except that the concentration of the medium-chain fatty acid triglyceride was changed as shown in Table 1.

[Example 3]
Evaluation was performed in the same manner as in Example 1, except that Coconard (registered trademark) RK ( _C8 acid triglyceride) manufactured by Kao Corporation was used as the medium-chain fatty acid triglyceride.

[Example 4]
Evaluation was performed in the same manner as in Example 1, except that MT-N (C ₈ /C ₁₀ acid triglyceride) manufactured by Kao Corporation was used as the medium-chain fatty acid triglyceride.

[Example 5]
Evaluation was performed in the same manner as in Example 1, except that Coconard (registered trademark) ML (C ₈ /C ₁₀ /C ₁₂ acid triglyceride) manufactured by Kao Corporation was used as the medium-chain fatty acid triglyceride.

[Comparative Example 1]
Evaluation was carried out in the same manner as in Example 1, except that the composition of the atomizing liquid was changed as shown in Table 1.

[Comparative Example 2]
Evaluation was carried out in the same manner as in Example 1, except that the composition of the atomizing liquid was changed as shown in Table 1. These results are shown in Table 1.

The results of Comparative Examples 1 and 2 show that the presence of nicotine reduces the light transmittance (%) 5 seconds after the start of inhalation. That is, nicotine has the effect of increasing the visibility of visible smoke. Also, the presence of nicotine lengthened the total length of time (T) during which the light transmittance was 85% or less. That is, nicotine has the effect of prolonging the duration of the state in which the visibility of visible smoke is high (that is, the state in which the light transmittance is 85% or less).

From the results of Example 1 and Comparative Example 2, it can be seen that the presence of fatty acid triglyceride reduces the light transmittance (%) 5 seconds after the start of suction. In other words, fatty acid triglycerides have the effect of increasing the visibility of visible smoke. Also, the T is lengthened by the presence of fatty acid triglycerides. In other words, fatty acid triglyceride has the effect of prolonging the duration of a state in which the visibility of visible smoke is high (that is, a state in which the light transmittance is 85% or less).

From the results of Example 1 and Comparative Example 1, it can be seen that the presence of both nicotine and fatty acid triglyceride significantly reduces the light transmittance (%) 5 seconds after the start of inhalation. In other words, the presence of both nicotine and fatty acid triglyceride has the effect of greatly enhancing the visibility of visible smoke. Also, the presence of both nicotine and fatty acid triglycerides significantly lengthens the T. In other words, the presence of both nicotine and fatty acid triglyceride has the effect of significantly lengthening the duration of the state in which the visibility of visible smoke is high (that is, the state in which the light transmittance is 85% or less). Further, from a comparison of Examples 2 to 5, it is clear that when the number of carbon atoms in the fatty acid-derived aliphatic group increases, the light transmittance (%) decreases and T increases.

1 atomizing liquid 1' particles 2 aerosol source 4 oil droplets 6 emulsifier

200 nebulizer 202 laser source 204 light receiver 206 transparent chamber 208 tube

1000 non-heating flavor sucker 1001D mouthpiece 1004 screw

1033 Comb electrode pair 1031 Piezoelectric element substrate 1031A, B Edge

1100 atomizing units 1102, 1104 opening 1106 atomizing unit top cover 1107 atomizing unit bottom cover 1109 PCB board 1111 sealing member

1200 A, B liquid reservoir 1202 housing

1711A, B guide wall 1070 sensor 1713A, B through hole 1714A, B recess

Claims (9)

A nebulizable liquid comprising nicotine, a fatty acid triglyceride, an emulsifier, and a water-based aerosol source. 2. The atomizing liquid according to claim 1, wherein the nicotine concentration in the atomizing liquid is 5% by weight or less. 3. The atomizing liquid according to claim 1, wherein the concentration of said fatty acid triglyceride in said atomizing liquid is 10% by weight or less. Atomizing liquid according to any of claims 1 to 3, wherein the aerosol source comprises 80% or more by weight of water in the aerosol source. The atomizing liquid according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the atomizing liquid contains 70% by weight or more of water in the liquid. The atomizing liquid according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein all fatty acid-derived aliphatic groups in the fatty acid triglyceride have 6 or more carbon atoms. Atomizing liquid according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising a perfume. A non-heating flavor inhaler comprising a liquid storage part for storing the liquid for atomization according to any one of claims 1 to 7, and an atomization part for atomizing the liquid for atomization. 9. The non-heated flavor inhaler according to claim 8, wherein the atomization section comprises a vibrating atomization mechanism.

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