Structural transformations of alumina by high energy ball milling

Room temperature, high energy ball milling was applied to various transition aluminas (γ, K, χ), producing thermodynamically stable α-alumina–a phenomenon that could otherwise be achieved only by high temperature (1100–1200 °C) heat treatment. The transformation proceeds in two steps. The first one consists of rapid microstructural rearrangements with continuously increasing α-transformation rate. In the second step (1–2 h from the start), only relatively small changes in morphology are observed with a constant α-transformation rate. The rate is influenced only by the milling intensity. The presence or the absence of oxygen in the milling atmosphere has a large influence on the final surface area of α-alumina.