The influence of magnesium, phosphorus, and iron additions on the low-temperature (less than or equal to1000degreesC) sintering of nanocrystalline alpha-Al2O3 derived from alpha-AIOOH has been investigated. alpha-AIOOH powder with a surface area of 50 m(2)/g yielded alpha-Al2O3 products with surface areas of 150 and 80 m(2)/g after dehydration at temperatures of 400degrees and 500degreesC, respectively. However, these products were prone to sintering at >600degreesC, and the surface area was reduced to 15 m(2)/g within only 1 h at 1000degreesC. Although magnesium and iron doping had no discernible effect, the presence of phosphorus inhibited sintering and surface-area loss significantly. Samples doped with 1%-2% phosphorus had surface areas of >31 m(2)/g after 100 h at 1000degreesC. Atomic force microscopy studies of alpha-Al2O3 pseudomorphs derived from alpha-AIOOH single crystals also demonstrated the inhibiting effect of phosphorus, as the rate of crack elimination was reduced on phosphorus-modified surfaces. The effects of the dopants are discussed with regard to their potential influence on alpha-Al2O3 surface energy and diffusivity.