Maybe... e-gel instead of e-liquid?

[Tempus Fugit]

OK, I don't know if anyone has thought along these lines or not, but please feel free to shoot holes, create and sell to me, whatever.

E-juice has its drawbacks. It leaks, it is difficult to contain in carts, it must be wicked. What if it were more like a gel, or paste? Obviously, atomizers would need to be different, but maybe even simpler. Maybe an atty could be freed of all that metal foam, the wick, etc, and just a squirt of gel from a tube could replace drops from a bottle. I suppose the gel could sit directly on the coil of the atty, and of course be designed so that it would melt/atomize/resolidify at a proper rate. Would it then be possible to use a taller column of gel inside the atty or cart, eliminating leaks, and the need for filler material? The heat generated in the walls of the atty could keep the gel warm enough to slide down the inside of the atty walls, maintaining contact with the coil. Maybe there would be the need for a hollow tube to allow vapor through, since it may have trouble rising through a column of gel. I would think that being denser, it may burn more slowly, could be made to create sh'loads of vapor, and a full cart of this gel may last for days.

Ideas, criticisms, and witticisms, please. I will expect someone to have this ready for me by late next week, adaptable to the 510. Thanks!

 

[paulspikey]

That sounds like a great idea! I would like to know more as well, I can't wait to see the responses.

 

[nbaagain]

I maybe wrong but I have the notion that a gel would not burn as clean and leave a residue.

 

[cyberwolf]

Cartomizers, with their tube through the middle got me thinking along these lines. I was thinking along the lines of a wick tube with the coil inside of it running throught the middle of a cartridge ful of gel. The heat would liquify enough to soak the tube and carry it to the atomizer. Probably the biggest flaw to this idea would be creating a gel that would stay solid under normal/pocket/direct sunlight conditions, but then liquify under the heat of the atty. My chemistry skills expire just beyond making Kool-aid, so I have no idea if it makes sense.

 

[jiff]

What type of additive would be needed to form a gel out of e-liquid?

I'll tell you what.

...

Gelatine.

...

Flavored gelatine...

...

CHOCOLATE PUDDING GELATINE!

 

[kristin]

What type of additive would be needed to form a gel out of e-liquid?

I'll tell you what.

...

Gelatine.

But that could be a problem for vegetarian vapers!

(Gelatin is gross.)

 

[Mr.Self_Destruct]

Cornstarch could turn turn into a gel type.

 

[geeker]

A gel is basically only a thick liquid. Think of making jelly. You mix fruit juice, sugar and pectin (proteins). I think the solid material in a gel would burn on the atomizer. The liquid component would vaporize but the solids would collect.

 

[jiff]

Cornstarch could turn turn into a gel type.

This would work, corn starch has saved me a few times while cooking.

Whatever additive was used it would need to be one that wouldn't burn, just evaporate. Cornstarch may burn and leave icky residue...? Not sure.

@kristin:
Yes, gelatin is gross. and yes, vegatarians wouldn't go for it... but still, I was just saying, that would probably do it. Not sure if that would burn or not though... The flavor may not be great, but I would hope the flavors of the liquid would outshine the gelatin itself.

 

[Grenage]

LOL!

I'm a veggie, but the thought of someone mashing chocolate pudding down an atty didn't half make me laugh.

 

[geeker]

You all must have seen those gel air fresheners. After the liquid has evaporated, there is a plasticy dried up chunk left. That is they type of thing that would be left if we were able to vape a gel.

 

[Zurd]

What about eliquid in a powder form?

 

[o4_srt]

that would be epowder, not eliquid

 

[Grenage]

What about eliquid in a powder form?

That would lack liquid to convert to vapour!

 

[JustMeAgain]

A capsule, maybe?

 

[Tempus Fugit]

All great ideas going here so far. It would be pretty cool if gelatin would work. I bet it would be even cheaper! I can imagine mixing jello, water, PG/VG, Everclear, and nic in appropriate amounts that would last for a month! I'm guessing spoilage might be a concern.

I also understand the concern about a gel leaving a residue. Not that it could be vaped, but does Sterno leave a residue, or does it burn clean off? If it does burn clean, then at least there is hope that SOMETHING vapable might do the same. I have heard of some gels that burn clean and they are alcohol based. Isn't there already some alcohol in our juice?

The idea of residue doesn't bother me so much about the atty. Like I said before, a redesigned atty might be necessary anyway. Maybe one with some kind of removable baseplate that can be cleaned/reused or something. I think a bigger concern might be particulate, or residue that would enter the lungs. That part could be a deal breaker.

I don't know much about it, but I looked up xanthan gum. It is a gluten-free (veggie friendly), FDA approved food additive. Here are a few things that our friendly Wikipedia has to say about it:
"Xanthan gum is a polysaccharide used as a food additive and rheology modifier. It is produced by fermentation of glucose or sucrose by the Xanthomonas campestris bacterium. After a fermentation period, the polysaccharide is precipitated from a growth medium with isopropyl alcohol, dried, and ground into a fine powder. Later, it is added to a liquid medium to form the gum."

"It was approved for use in foods after extensive animal testing for toxicity in 1968. It is accepted as a safe food additive in the USA, Canada, Europe, and many other countries."

"One of the most remarkable properties of xanthan gum is its ability to produce a large increase in the viscosity of a liquid by adding a very small quantity of gum, on the order of one percent. In most foods, it is used at 0.5%, and can be used in lower concentrations. The viscosity of xanthan gum solutions decreases with higher shear rates; this is called pseudoplasticity. This means that a product subjected to shear, whether from mixing, shaking or even chewing, will thin out, but once the shear forces are removed, the food will thicken back up. A practical use would be in salad dressing: the xanthan gum makes it thick enough at rest in the bottle to keep the mixture fairly homogeneous, but the shear forces generated by shaking and pouring thins it, so it can be easily poured. When it exits the bottle, the shear forces are removed and it thickens back up, so it clings to the salad. Unlike other gums, it is very stable under a wide range of temperatures and pH."

(One possible downside) "Evaluation of workers exposed to xanthan gum dust found evidence that respiratory symptoms were associated with exposure to xanthan gum dust."

Anyone? Anyone?

 

[Grenage]

The only way I can see a gel working, is if it's in a sealed enclosure that can easily be cleaned or replaced, so a capsule would work.

The only capsule device I've seen is that butane-powered monstrosity. Who has one, and fancies inhaling the boiled remnants of a cow's bones and intestine?

 

[kackourey]

If this happened they would be like a prefilled carto I doubt they could make it refill friendly anytime soon.

 

[Zurd]

eliquid, egel, epowder, ecapsule, so much idea! Or since we only need the nicotine maybe we could find a plant that produces it, extract the leaves and smoke it right away, we won't need batteries and chargers anymore, that would be an improvement!

 

[Little Girl]

A possible vegetarian solution could be agar agar, which is a gelatin made from algae: Agar - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I think this sort of thing wouldn't work very well, though, because if it's solid in any way, it won't move on its own to the atomizer the way a liquid will. Probably only the part closest to the atomizer would get any vaping action.