Heating elements for electronic cigarettes

1. A heating element comprising:

at least one carrier material made of glass or glass ceramic, the carrier material having a thermal conductivity of less than 2 W/K*m, a thermal capacity of less than 1000 J/K*kg, and a roughness R a of less than 500 nm; and

a metallic heating conductor structure on the carrier material.

2. The heating element of claim 1 , wherein the heating element is configured for use in an electronic cigarette.

3. The heating element of claim 1 , wherein the carrier material is a tube or a rod.

4. The heating element of claim 3 , wherein the tube or rod has a diameter of less than 20 mm.

5. The heating element of claim 1 , wherein the carrier material is a tube was a wall thickness of less than 5 mm.

6. The heating element of claim 1 , wherein the carrier material is a glass tube with a polygonal cross-sectional shape.

7. The heating element of claim 6 , wherein the polygonal cross-sectional shape is a triangle.

8. The heating element of claim 1 , wherein the carrier material is a glass tube with a shape selected from the group consisting of a round cross-sectional shape, an ellipsoidal cross-sectional shape, and a hollow cross-sectional shape.

9. The heating element of claim 1 , wherein the carrier material has a thickness of less than 2000 μm.

10. The heating element of claim 1 , wherein the carrier material has a thickness of less than 50 μm.

11. The heating element of claim 1 , wherein the carrier material has a thickness of not more than 500 μm.

12. The heating element of claim 1 , wherein the carrier material comprises a thin glass capable of being rolled into a roll having a diameter of less than 20 mm.

13. The heating element of claim 1 , wherein the carrier material is a material selected from the group consisting of a silicate glass, a borosilicate glass, an aluminum silicate glass, an aluminum borosilicate glass, a glass ceramic, an LAS glass ceramic, and an MAS glass ceramic.

14. The heating element of claim 1 , wherein the carrier material is a glass comprising (in wt %):

Al 2 O 3

1 to 10;

Na 2 O

1 to 10;

K 2 O

0 to 5; and

CaO

0 to 5.

15. The heating element of claim 14 , wherein the glass comprises CaO≥0.1.

16. The heating element of claim 1 , wherein the carrier material is a chemically toughened glass having a product of thermal conductivity and specific heat capacity that is less than 1800 J 2 /K 2 *m*s*kg in a temperature interval from 20° C. to 100° C.

17. The heating element of claim 16 , wherein the product is less than 1200 J 2 /K 2 *m*s*kg.

18. The heating element of claim 1 , wherein the carrier material is a thin glass having edges that have been processed chemically and/or mechanically.

19. The heating element of claim 1 , wherein the carrier material has a roughness of less than 250 nm.

20. The heating element of claim 1 , wherein the heating conductor structure comprises an electrically conductive coating.

21. The heating element of claim 20 , wherein the electrically conductive coating comprises a platinum-containing coating or an ITO-based coating.

22. The heating element of claim 1 , wherein the heating conductor structure is on a surface of the carrier material in a helical or meandering shape.

23. The heating element of claim 1 , wherein the heating conductor structure is on an entire surface of the carrier material.

24. The heating element of claim 1 , wherein the heating conductor structure is on an outer lateral surface of the carrier material.

25. The heating element of claim 1 , wherein the carrier material has a tubular shape and the heating conductor structure is on an inner lateral surface of the tubular shape.