Philip Morris USA Inc.

North Carolina State University

University of North Texas

Philip Morris Products S.a.

Manuel Marquez

Zhihao Shen

Samuel Isaac Ogle

Orlin Dimitrov Velev

Jon A Regrut

Zhibing Hu

Tong Cai

Stoyan Smoukov

Jun Zhou

Shijun Tang

William D Thweatt

A large variety of electrospun fibers can be produced to encapsulate a large variety of additives within the subcompartments or substructures of the manufactured electrospun fiber. Furthermore, the manufactured electrospun fibers can be electrostatically arranged within a filter component of a smoking article during the manufacturing process. By modifying the various parameters that control the electrospinning process, a diverse set of electrospun fibers can be manufactured that vary in composition, in substructural organization, and in dimension. The electrospun fiber produced by electrospinning comprises at least one type of polymeric material that encapsulates or supports the retention of at least one type of a flavorant or a non-flavorant within the electrospun fiber. A polymeric material provides a supporting structure for encapsulating at least one type of a flavorant or a non-flavorant. The electrospun fibers that can be produced by various electrospinning processes described below include microfibers in a micro-scaled range, nanofibers in a nano-scaled range, and various mixtures of microfibers and nanofibers.

Smoking articles enhanced to deliver additives incorporated within electrospun microfibers and nonofibers, and related methods

Nanofibers are fabricated by introducing a polymer solution into a dispersion medium and shearing the dispersion medium. Droplets of the polymer solution are spun into elongated fibers that are insoluble in the dispersion medium.

Nanospinning of polymer fibers from sheared solutions

A large variety of electroprocessed capsules can be produced to encapsulate a variety of additives within the subcompartments or substructures of the manufactured capsule. Furthermore, the manufactured capsules can be arranged within a filter of a smoking article during the manufacturing process. By modifying the various parameters that control the electrospraying or electrospinning processes, capsules can be manufactured that vary in composition, in substructural organization, and in dimension. A capsule produced by electrospraying comprises at least one polymeric material that encapsulates or supports the retention of at least one flavorant and/or non-flavorant within the capsule. A polymeric material provides a supporting structure for encapsulating at least one flavorant and/or non-flavorant additive. The capsules that can be produced by various electrospraying processes described below include microcapsules in a micro-scaled range, nanocapsules in a nano-scaled range, and various mixtures of microcapsules and nanocapsules.

Smoking articles enhanced to deliver additives incorporated within electroprocessed microcapsules and nanocapsules, and related methods

The compositions of hydrogel colloidal crystals are made from mixing an aqueous suspension of poly-N-isopropylacrylamide ('PNIPAM')-co-allylamine microgels with dichloromethane, forming a PNIPAM-co-allylamine/dichloromethane mixture. The PNIPAM-co-allylamine/dichloromethane mixture is incubated for a period of time at a given temperature, forming the colloidal crystal material. The colloidal crystals can be stabilized by diffusing a glutaric dialdehyde solution into the colloidal crystal material. The concentration of polymer matrix microgels can determine the orientation of random or columnar crystals.

Synthesis of columnar hydrogel colloidal crystals in water-organic solvent mixture

Growing community of inventors

Midlothian, VA, United States of America

Manuel Marquez