Surface coating with various metals on spherical polymer particles by using barrel sputtering technique

Micron-sized spherical polymer particles were homogeneously coated with Au, Ag, Pd, Cu, and Ni by the barrel sputtering technique. Surface coating was successfully performed independent of the sputtered metal and the diameter of the polymer particles used. Optical microscope observations revealed a mirror-like appearance with a color that depended on the coated metal. SEM and EDX studies revealed that the surface of metal-coated samples was very smooth and the sputtered metal was homogeneously distributed over the entire sample surface. The amount of coated metal was evaluated using TG–DTA and ICP-AES measurements. The thickness of the metal film was within several 10 nm.