Ceria/zirconia fiberes for use in cigarettes

Abstract

Ceria/zirconia fibres are incorporated into a variety of smokable articles or their separate individual components, in particular, cigarette components such as a cigarette paper/wrapper, tobacco, and/or filter.

1 . A cigarette comprising a tobacco rod, a cigarette paper/wrapper for the tobacco rod, and optionally a filter, wherein at least one of the tobacco rod, the cigarette paper/wrapper and the filter comprise ceria/zirconia fibres.  
   
   
       2 . The cigarette of  claim 1 , wherein the ceria/zirconia fibres are porous.  
   
   
       3 . The cigarette of  claim 1 , wherein the ceria/zirconia fibres have a surface area in the range of about 1 to about 200 m 2 /g.  
   
   
       4 . The cigarette of  claim 1 , wherein the ceria/zirconia fibres have a surface area less than about 1 m 2 /g.  
   
   
       5 . The cigarette of  claim 1 , wherein the cigarette paper/wrapper comprises porous ceria/zirconia fibres.  
   
   
       6 . The cigarette of  claim 1 , wherein the cigarette paper/wrapper comprises ceria/zirconia fibres having a surface area greater than about 20 m 2 /g.  
   
   
       7 . The cigarette of  claim 5 , wherein the cigarette paper/wrapper reduces sidestream smoke, the cigarette paper/wrapper comprising a sidestream smoke reducing composition and the ceria/zirconia fibres.  
   
   
       8 . The cigarette of  claim 1 , wherein the ceria/zirconia fibres are made by fiberizing an aqueous solution of a zirconium compound, ceria and a crystalline, colloidal zirconia sol; and heating the ceria/zirconia fibres to a temperature less than about 1100° C.  
   
   
       9 . The cigarette of  claim 1 , wherein the ceria/zirconia fibres comprise up to about 50% by weight ceria.  
   
   
       10 . The cigarette of  claim 1 , wherein the tobacco rod comprises about 1 to about 15% by weight of the ceria/zirconia fibres.  
   
   
       11 . The cigarette of  claim 1  comprises the filter.  
   
   
       12 . The cigarette of  claim 11 , wherein the filter comprises the ceria/zirconia fibres.  
   
   
       13 . The cigarette of  claim 12 , wherein a cavity defined in the filter comprises the ceria/zirconia fibres.  
   
   
       14 . The cigarette of  claim 12 , wherein the filter comprises the ceria/zirconia fibres and conventional fibres.  
   
   
       15 . The cigarette of  claim 1 , wherein the cigarette paper/wrapper comprises the ceria/zirconia fibres and conventional cigarette paper/wrapper fibres.  
   
   
       16 . The cigarette of  claim 1 , wherein the cigarette paper/wrapper comprises up to 65% by weight of the ceria/zirconia fibres and at least 35% by weight of a conventional cigarette paper/wrapper filler and/or conventional cigarette paper/wrapper fibres.  
   
   
       17 . The cigarette of  claim 16 , wherein the cigarette paper/wrapper comprises about 30 to about 40% by weight of the ceria/zirconia fibres, about 30 to about 40% by weight of the conventional cigarette paper/wrapper fibres and about 20 to about 40% by weight of the conventional cigarette paper/wrapper filler.  
   
   
       18 . The cigarette of  claim 15 , wherein the conventional cigarette paper/wrapper fibres are cellulosic fibres.  
   
   
       19 . The cigarette of  claim 16 , wherein the conventional cigarette paper/wrapper filler is selected from the group consisting of a ceramic, a clay, a binder and a sheet reinforcement material.  
   
   
       20 . The cigarette of  claim 1  further comprising a conventional cigarette paper between the tobacco rod and the cigarette paper/wrapper.