Addition of electrical conductivity to metal oxide particles using the polygonal barrel-sputtering method

•Au was sputtered on Al2O3 particles in an oscillated hexagonal barrel.•The surfaces of the Al2O3 particles are uniformly modified with Au.•The Al2O3 particles modified with Au have a high electrical conductivity.•The electrochemical property of the prepared powder is similar to that of Au metal.•Our sputtering method helps add an electrical conductivity to metal oxide particles.

The surface modification of Al2O3 particles with Au was investigated using the polygonal barrel-sputtering method. When the Au was sputtered, a hexagonal barrel loaded with Al2O3 particles was oscillated. As a result, the appearance of the sample changed from white to dark brown. The characterization of the prepared sample showed that the surfaces of the Al2O3 particles were uniformly modified with Au having a face-centered cubic structure. The electrical conductivity of the prepared sample was very high (σ = 1.19 × 103–2.45 × 103 S m−1) and its electrochemical property was similar to that of the bulk Au metal. Thus, the polygonal barrel-sputtering method is concluded to be useful for providing an electrical conductivity to insulators such as metal oxide particles.

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