Review on Thermal Stability and Bonding Analysis of Alumina Powder for High-Temperature Applications using TGA and FTIR

Abstract

Aluminum oxide (oxide Al?O?), or alumina, is one of the most critical and widely used ceramic oxides in high-temperature mechanical applications. This is due to its reliable mechanical properties, thermal stability, and chemical resistance. Alumina has various polymorphs and transition sequences from the metastable polytypes of ?, ?, ?, and ? to the stable ?-phase can lead to a defining step in application performance. Recent developments (2020-2025) in alumina powder synthesis, thermal characterization and bonding have been organized in this review with emphasis on the use of Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA) and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). The first technique addressed an understanding of powder thermal processing incorporating dehydration, decomposition, phase stability with TGA. The second technique addressed an understanding of Al–O bonding vibrations in the forms of structural and hydroxyl group vibrational modes with FTIR to develop a dimensional understanding of bonding transformations during calcination. These analyses have been integrated to provide an understanding of how different powder synthesis routes (sol–gel, hydrothermal, combustion and additive manufacturing) affect thermal transport, microstructural evolution and the associated mechanical behaviour of alumina powders. Other factors influencing densification and reliability of the ceramic including dopants, sintering atmosphere and conditions are summarized.The review discusses the challenges of spectral overlaps, ephemeral identification, and scaling to commercial production, and connects them to future opportunities in multi-technique in situ analysis, computational modeling, and sustainable processing approaches to optimize alumina powders for next-generation aerospace, energy, and refractory applications.

Introduction

Aluminum oxide (Al?O?), or alumina, is a crucial ceramic material known for its chemical inertness, corrosion resistance, and high melting point, making it ideal for high-temperature mechanical applications such as aerospace, automotive, electronics, and energy sectors. Alumina exists in multiple polymorphic forms (γ, δ, θ, κ, and α), with the α phase being thermodynamically stable at high temperatures. Understanding and controlling the phase transformations and chemical bonding are key to optimizing its thermomechanical performance.

Characterization Techniques:

• Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA) tracks weight changes during heating, revealing thermal stability, dehydration, decomposition, and phase transitions.

• Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) monitors changes in chemical bonding, such as Al–O lattice vibrations and surface hydroxyl groups, during thermal treatment.

• Combined TGA-FTIR offers detailed insights into the structure-property relationships, beneficial for advanced ceramic development.

Synthesis and Microstructure:

• Alumina powders’ microstructure and phase purity are influenced by synthesis methods, including wet-chemical (sol-gel, hydrothermal) and dry industrial processes.

• Polymorphic transformations from metastable forms to α-alumina around 1100–1300 °C affect densification and mechanical properties.

• Doping with elements like Fe?O? or TiO? can stabilize phases and alter transformation kinetics.

Mechanical Properties:

• Alumina nanocomposites demonstrate high flexural strength (up to 500 MPa), hardness (>20 GPa), and fracture toughness (3–5 MPa·m^1/2).

• These materials also show superior wear and fatigue resistance.

Research Gaps:

1. Lack of standardized protocols for coupled TGA-FTIR experiments, causing inconsistent results.

2. Limited quantitative analysis of volatile species and intermediates during phase transitions, especially in composites.

3. Insufficient atomic-scale understanding of dopant effects on phase stability and transformation kinetics.

4. Low industrial adoption of integrated multi-technique approaches due to cost and complexity.

5. Need for computational integration, including machine learning, to predict and optimize alumina powder synthesis and properties.

Addressing these gaps will enhance the design and application of alumina ceramics for demanding high-temperature environments.

Conclusion

The purpose of this review is to detail the thermal stability and bonding evolution of aluminum oxide (Al?O?) powders, with a particular focus on TGA (thermogravimetric analysis) and FTIR (Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic) characterization. The polymorphism of alumina and therefore the transition from metastable to stable alumina is very important when considering the suitability of alumina in high-temperature mechanical applications. By reviewing over fifty published studies, this review suggests the synthesis route, calcination conditions, and addition of dopants are important to the thermal transport, densification, and mechanical reliability of alumina. TGA provides useful quantification of dehydration, degradation, and thermal phenomena, while FTIR can be used to gain additional information via the understanding of Al–O lattice vibrations and bond transitions. Collectively, both characterization techniques provide a powerful approach to exploring structure–property relationships that are relevant for industrial applications.

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Copyright © 2025 Brijendra Kumar, Abhishek Srivastava, Aditya Chaudhary. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.