Liquid‐Phase‐Assisted Transformation of Seeded γ‐Alumina

α‐Al₂O₃‐seeded, boehmite‐derived γ‐Al₂O₃ was transformed in the presence of V₂O₅, resulting in a 205°C decrease in the α‐Al₂O₃ transformation temperature and a 74% reduction in the apparent activation energy for the γ‐ to α‐Al₂O₃ transformation at temperatures greater than 850°C. These changes are attributed to the lowered energy barrier for nucleation by seeding and the lowered activation energy for material transport through the liquid relative to the unseeded, solid‐state transformation. Growth of the transforming alumina yielded fine‐grained α‐Al₂O₃ particles which exhibited a highly faceted morphology. It is proposed that the combined control of both nucleation and growth during liquid‐phase‐assisted transformation provides a potentially powerful technique for tailoring powder characteristics in many material systems which undergo nucleation and growth processes.