1. A method of forming a tobacco solutes-rich liquor in an apparatus, the method comprising:
i) extracting tobacco solutes from tobacco by flowing an extraction solvent through a first vessel containing tobacco to form a mixture of tobacco and tobacco solutes-containing extraction solvent, and
ii) removing the tobacco solutes from the extraction solvent by flowing the tobacco solutes-containing extraction solvent through a second vessel containing an entrapment solvent, wherein the tobacco solutes comprise nicotine and at least one tobacco flavor compound or at least one tobacco aroma compound, and the entrapment solvent is selected from the group consisting of propylene glycol, triacetin, glycerin and mixtures thereof.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the extraction solvent comprises a supercritical fluid and the supercritical fluid is maintained in a supercritical state during steps i) and ii).
3. The method of claim 1, wherein nicotine and the at least one tobacco flavor compound or the at least one tobacco aroma compound are simultaneously extracted from the tobacco.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein at least 50% by weight or at least 80% by weight of the tobacco solutes in the tobacco are extracted from the tobacco.
5. The method of claim 2, wherein the supercritical fluid comprises carbon dioxide.
6. The method of claim 2, wherein the supercritical fluid further comprises a co-solvent selected from the group consisting of water; ethanol; methanol; acetone; propane; 2-propanol; chloroform; 1,1,1-trichloroethane; 2,2,2-trifluoroethanol; triethylamine; 1,2-dibromoethane and mixtures thereof.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein the ratio of the total mass of extraction solvent flowed through the first vessel to the mass of tobacco contained in the first vessel is from about 75 to 500.
8. The method of claim 1, wherein the moisture content of the tobacco during step i) is up to about 30% by weight.
9. The method of claim 1, further comprising treating the tobacco with an acid or a base prior to step i).
10. The method of claim 1, wherein the entrapment solvent consists essentially of propylene glycol.
11. The method of claim 1, wherein the ratio of the mass of entrapment solvent contained in the second vessel to the mass of tobacco contained in the first vessel is less than about 2 or less than about 1.
12. The method of claim 1, wherein the second vessel further contains a packing material that can improve the exchange efficiency of tobacco solutes from the extraction solvent to the entrapment solvent.
13. The method of claim 1, wherein the liquor comprises substantially all of the tobacco solutes extracted from the tobacco.
14. The method of claim 1, comprising alternately repeating steps i) and ii).
15. The method of claim 1, comprising repeating step i) andor repeating step ii).
16. The method of claim 1, comprising simultaneously performing steps i) and ii).
17. The method of claim 1, further comprising reducing the concentration of nicotine andor reducing the concentration of the at least one tobacco flavor compound or the at least one tobacco aroma compound in the solutes-rich liquor.
18. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
adding fresh extraction solvent to the apparatus, and
simultaneously removing from the apparatus extraction solvent used to extract tobacco solutes from the tobacco, wherein the volume of the fresh extraction solvent added is substantially equal to the volume of the extraction solvent removed.
19. The method of claim 18, wherein during the steps of simultaneously adding and removing, the temperature and pressure within the first and second vessels remain substantially constant.
20. The method of claim 18, wherein the volume of the fresh extraction solvent is at least twice the total volume of the first and second vessels.
21. A flavor-modified cigarette component comprising the tobacco solutes-rich liquor made according to the method of claim 1, wherein the cigarette component is selected from the group consisting of tobacco cut filler, cigarette paper, cigarette filter, web and matt.
22. A cigarette comprising the tobacco solutes-rich liquor made according to the method of claim 1.
23. A tobacco flavored product comprising the tobacco solutes-rich liquor made according to the method of claim 1.
24. A method of making a cigarette comprising the tobacco solutes-rich liquor made according to the method of claim 1 comprising i) spray-coating or dip-coating the liquor on tobacco cut filler andor cigarette paper; ii) providing the tobacco cut filler to a cigarette making machine to form a tobacco column; iii) placing the cigarette paper around the tobacco column to form a tobacco rod of a cigarette; and iv) optionally attaching a cigarette filter to the tobacco rod using tipping paper.
25. A flavor-modified tobacco cut filler comprising the tobacco solutes-tobacco made according to the method of claim 1.
26. A cigarette comprising a tobacco solutes-rich tobacco and the tobacco solutes-poor tobacco made according to the method of claim 1.
27. A method of forming a tobacco solutes-rich liquor comprising tobacco solutes, the method comprising:
i) providing an extraction solvent having dissolved therein one or more tobacco solutes;
ii) removing the tobacco solutes from the extraction solvent by flowing the tobacco solutes-containing extraction solvent through a vessel containing a polar solvent; and
iii) removing a substantially tobacco solutes-free extraction solvent from the vessel, wherein the tobacco solutes comprise nicotine and at least one tobacco flavor compound or at least one tobacco aroma compound and the polar solvent is selected from the group consisting of propylene glycol, triacetin, glycerin and mixtures thereof.
28. The method of claim 27, wherein the extraction solvent comprises a supercritical fluid and the supercritical fluid comprises supercritical carbon dioxide.
29. The method of claim 27, further comprising reducing the concentration of nicotine andor reducing the concentration of the at least one tobacco flavor compound or the at least one tobacco aroma compound in the solutes-rich liquor.
30. The method of claim 27, wherein the vessel further contains a packing material that can improve the exchange efficiency of removing tobacco solutes from the extraction solvent to the polar solvent.
31. A tobacco solutes-rich liquor adapted to be incorporated in a component of a tobacco-flavored product, wherein the liquor comprises nicotine and at least one tobacco flavor compound or at least one tobacco aroma compound dissolved in a solvent selected from the group consisting of propylene glycol, triacetin, glycerin and mixtures thereof.
32. The tobacco solutes-rich liquor of claim 31, wherein the liquor is the form of a bulk liquid, encapsulated liquid, microbead, fiber or film.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A method to form a photovoltaic assembly, the method comprising:
doping a first surface of a semiconductor donor body by diffusion doping to a first conductivity type to form a doped first surface;
defining a cleave plane in the semiconductor donor body;
affixing the doped first surface to a receiver element;
cleaving a lamina from the semiconductor donor body at the cleave plane, wherein the lamina remains affixed to the receiver element, wherein a second surface of the lamina is created by the cleaving step;
depositing amorphous silicon directly on the second surface, wherein at least a part of the amorphous silicon is heavily doped; and
fabricating a photovoltaic cell with an emitter and a base, wherein the heavily doped amorphous silicon comprises the emitter of the photovoltaic cell, and the lamina comprises the base of the photovoltaic cell.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein in the completed photovoltaic cell, a conductive material is disposed between the lamina and the receiver element.
3. The method of claim 2 wherein, in the completed photovolta cell, a dielectric layer is disposed between the conductive material and the receiver element.
4. The method of claim 1 wherein the heavily doped amorphous silicon is doped to a second conductivity type opposite the first conductivity type.
5. The method of claim 2, wherein the conductive material is cobalt.
6. The method of claim 1 wherein at least a part of the amorphous silicon is intrinsic amorphous silicon.