Innokin: Conductive Ceramics to Transform E-cigarettes

According to data released on October 20th by the General Administration of Customs of China, Chinese e-cigarette exports in September reached $898 million, a month-on-month increase of 2.36%. This is the first increase in e-cigarette exports since May of this year. However, compared to the same period last year, this figure has decreased by 8.29%. Apart from sluggish export growth, the export unit price of e-cigarettes has also been falling, indicating that the e-cigarette industry is facing difficulties. 

In order to maintain their market share, sacrificing profits seems to have become a common practice in the industry. However, this is not the only solution, and lowering prices to survive is not the right path to achieve breakthroughs. Looking back in time, whether it's the emergence of nicotine salts or the rise of disposable e-cigarettes, they all seem to point to the same path of creating high growth in the e-cigarette industry: technological and product innovation. 

On September 20th, at the 2023 GTNF "Golden Leaf Awards" ceremony held in South Korea, Chinese e-cigarette company Innokin won an award for "a ceramic material that can eliminate metal in the atomization core". 

As a "foundational" technology in the e-cigarette industry, this new material's non-metallic conductivity breaks through the industry's conventional understanding. Can this new non-metallic conductive ceramic material lead the next generation of e-cigarette technology trend? Can it drive market demand to expand? 2FIRSTS recently had a conversation with Innokin.

Update of Heating Components of E-cigarettes

2FIRSTS: Please introduce the new material that has won the "Golden Leaf Award" - a ceramic material that eliminates metal in the e-cigarette atomizer. 

INNOKIN: Our metal-free conductive ceramic, known as MeFree, is an innovative material that revolutionizes the heating component of e-cigarettes. The structure of an e-cigarette consists of three main parts: the battery, the heater (which includes a metal heating coil and wick material like cotton or porous ceramic to deliver e-liquid to the coil), and the atomizer where the e-liquid is vaporized. The MeFree material is used in the second part, the heating component, replacing traditional metal materials.

This technology is fundamental and essential. To draw a parallel with automobiles, the engine component is equivalent to the heater of an e-cigarette, which significantly impacts vaporization efficiency and the generation of harmful substances. Currently, we have undergone an upgrade of the crucial heating element.

2FIRSTS: Why is it called an upgrade? What makes Innokin's new material so special?

INNOKIN: Currently, all e-cigarettes on the market are using metal for heating. Similar to how electric kettles work, heat is generated by electricity flowing through metal resistance wires to boil water. What we have done is replace the metal heating element in e-cigarettes with a conductive ceramic, which is a non-metallic material. This can be seen as a breakthrough in transitioning "from metal to non-metal" in e-cigarette technology. 2FIRSTS: What advantages does this conductive ceramic have over traditional metal materials? How does it address issues in e-cigarettes?

2FIRSTS: Why is it a replacement? What is so special about this new material from INNOKIN?

INNOKIN: The issue with metal materials is influenced by the inherent characteristics of the metal itself.

First, let's talk about metals. In reality, pure metals are rarely used in the electronics industry nowadays; alloys like stainless steel and nickel-chromium are commonly used instead. If the quality of the alloy material is not good enough, especially when heating e-liquid with a low pH or acidic nature, it may release some heavy metals. This poses a potential threat to consumers.

However, the main issue lies in the uneven heating of the metal, which can be considered one of the biggest problems in the e-cigarette industry. For instance, in a coil made of a metal wire, it tends to heat up more in the center before spreading to the sides.

In the process of researching harm reduction in tobacco, there are primarily two main directions: improving the substances used in heating, and lowering the temperature. For example, e-cigarettes are less harmful compared to traditional cigarettes, as the e-liquid used in the vaporization process contains lower levels of harmful substances, mainly consisting of propylene glycol, glycerin, nicotine, and flavorings. Numerous studies and research findings on this topic have been published by scholars and research institutions both domestically and internationally.

Innokin's MeFree conductive ceramic is known for its remarkable stability in both physical and chemical properties. This is because the temperature during the sintering process of the conductive ceramic exceeds 1500 degrees Celsius, resulting in excellent physical and chemical stability, oxidation resistance, and corrosion resistance. It can withstand acidic and alkaline substances without any major issues. Furthermore, its heat distribution is incredibly uniform, ensuring efficient and precise heating. Whether used for e-liquid atomization or non-combustible heating, whether in the form of atomization plates, heating films, or heating needles, MeFree conductive ceramic excels in providing rapid, even, and accurately controlled heating.

The most immediate consumer observation in the use of e-cigarettes is that the taste is much purer and lacks any metallic aftertaste.

Regulatory Pressures from Europe and US: How to Reduce Harmful Substances?

2FIRSTS: When did Innokin start researching this ceramic material, and what was the background that led to this research?

INNOKIN: In fact, we have had this idea since 2016, as it was a crucial year for the e-cigarette industry.

First, in May of that year, the European Union announced the implementation of TPD certification (Tobacco Products Directive), followed by the US FDA proposing PMTA review (pre-market product review for e-cigarettes). One of the key points of these two policies is ensuring that the quality of your product is safe, testing and reporting potential harmful substances that may be produced during the vaporization process. This poses higher requirements on the e-cigarette industry.

Therefore, at that time, we were contemplating how e-cigarettes could be made healthier and safer. In other words, Innokin was compelled to conduct this research due to the strict regulations imposed by Europe and America.

INNOKIN: Many e-cigarette companies, including ours, have made reducing the health damage caused by smoking a goal, and the implementation of regulatory measures in Europe and America has accelerated this process. In fact, in 2015, a significant proportion of consumers were enthusiasts, mainly seeking the taste and amount of vapor produced by e-cigarettes. It was also during that time that the power of the products gradually increased. However, at that time, some enthusiasts were only concerned with the taste and cool appearance of the products. Despite the industry consensus that e-cigarettes are less harmful than smoking, their safety had not been thoroughly researched.

But when the regulations in 2016 introduced stricter standards, safety concerns became the focal point of attention. Industry started to propose temperature-controlled products, as they realized that higher temperatures lead to a relatively higher production of harmful substances.

At that time, the use of metal for heating elements was still rare. The primary heating element was a heating wire, but gradually, metal heating mesh cores started to increase. Whether it was a heating wire or heating mesh, temperature control was essentially achieved by establishing a correlation function between resistance and temperature. However, the problem was that the temperature distribution within the heating element itself was uneven. We conducted experiments with various materials, including purer metals and better alloy materials. However, the inherent characteristics of metals made it impossible to achieve uniform temperature distribution. Later, our research and development team proposed a possible new material that they believed could be used in e-cigarettes. With this idea, we began the development of this material together with our partners. 

2FIRSTS: Is this new material the non-metallic conductive ceramic? How was this new material created at that time?

INNOKIN: Yes, in fact, we experimented with various materials. We initially started with metal, and later considered using conductive ceramics.

Conductive ceramics, a type of material commonly used in various industries, typically involve the incorporation of metal powders into ceramics to impart conductivity. However, this type of conductive ceramic is not suitable for use in the e-cigarette industry due to the limited number of metals capable of withstanding the high temperatures (above 1000 degrees Celsius) required for ceramic sintering. Once sintering is completed, the metal in conductive ceramics is prone to oxidation, leading to extremely poor resistance stability and even loss of conductivity at low voltages.

Later, we took a different approach with our research and development partners, using ceramic modification and non-metal substances to impart conductivity to ceramics. This non-metal conductive ceramic is an invention of our research unit. Together, we further developed and improved it for application in the e-cigarette industry. Our non-metal conductive ceramic is ion-conductive, with characteristics of high stability, fast heating, and excellent heat distribution. 

2FIRSTS: How long did it take to research this conductive ceramic? When were samples approximately available?

This achievement follows years of extensive research and experimentation with material systems, which began in 2019. The company dedicated significant time to exploring and studying materials, finally initiating function tests in mid-2022. As the year comes to a close, Innokin proudly introduces its prototype to the market, offering a glimpse into the future of consumer electronics.

Large Number of New Products Expected to Hit Market by Q1 2024

2FIRSTS: Has the commercial use of these conductive ceramics begun on a large scale? And in which e-cigarette products are they being used?

INNOKIN: We are currently in the process of commercializing our products. We do not have any products on the market in large quantities yet, but we are primarily collaborating with clients to develop new products.

This material is now mainly used in soot atomization, heating without burning and so on. It can be said that the current metal resistance heating atomization can be done, MeFree non-metallic conductive ceramics can be done.

2FIRSTS: What about customer feedback?

INNOKIN: Very good. Customer feedback is basically consistent with our internal test results, that is, from personal experience, the taste is smoother, purer, and the reincarnation of some flavors will be better.

2FIRSTS: E-cigarette products made of conductive ceramics are on the market in large numbers. When is it expected to be?

INNOKIN: It will take until the first quarter of next year to see our product on a large scale in the market.

2FIRSTS: Will the application of this new material to e-cigarettes increase the cost of the product?

INNOKIN: No, at present we can ensure that material costs will not increase; And after mass production, the cost may be reduced. However, we can not only look at the cost of materials, because the atomization core, as well as some links in the production process, may also increase the cost.

2FIRSTS: What is New Yikang's plan for the application of this new material in various product categories?

INNOKIN: We also have customers who are talking to us about using this technology in disposable products. But for the new Yikang, we may first push and change the bomb, and then open.

2FIRSTS: At present, the increasingly stringent global regulation of e-cigarettes, especially disposable e-cigarettes, will accelerate the pace of new products such as new Yikang electronic cigarettes with conductive ceramic materials to enter the market?

INNOKIN: We think there will be a boost. At least we can see that although there is no ban on disposable electronic cigarettes, the environmental problems caused by disposable electronic cigarettes have attracted the attention of some national regulators, and some large formal channels in Europe, such as some supermarkets in the UK, have announced that they will no longer sell disposable electronic cigarettes. However, consumers' demand for convenient and easy-to-use e-cigarettes is still there, and it is necessary to turn to change-over and open products.

Moreover, from the perspective of market competition, some of the later channels into the changeover, open products are bound to introduce better and more innovative products to attract consumers into their market. This is an opportunity for new technology - not only to bring a better experience to consumers, but also to give channels a competitive advantage.