So, how does an electronic cigarette work?
E-cigs contain four main parts:
The battery, which supplies power.
The control switch, which of course turns the system on and off.
The atomizer, or “atty” as its sometimes called, which vaporizes the liquid.
And the mouthpiece, which stores the nicotine solution or “e-juice”.
Each time a user puffs on it, air passes through a sensor, which then sends power from the battery to the atomizer, which produces the vapor, and usually an LED at the end, which is simply there to give the user a visual indication the system is activated and may, in many units, simulate the look of a real cigarette's lit tip.
The Atomizer then either heats up or uses ultra sonic vibrations to vaporize some of the nicotine / propylene glycol solution into a mist. This mist very closely resembles smoke, but there is no combustion and therefore no smoke. While technically it is “steam” it is not hot. This is basically the same process used in theatrical fog machines.
Finally, the vapor is inhaled by the user out of the opening in the end.
Most brands also have a safety sensor that activates the system long enough to deliver just the right amount of vapor with every puff.
While there are many different brands and styles of electronic cigarettes, they can be broken down into two basic designs: The three part and the two part.