  Crystallographic texture engineering in ceramics is essential to achieve
direction-specific properties. Current texture engineering methods are
time-consuming, energy extensive, or can lead to unnecessary diffusion of added
dopants. Herein, we explore ultrafast high-temperature sintering (UHS) to
prepare dense and textured alumina using templated grain growth (TGG). From a
slurry containing alumina microplatelets coated with Fe3O4 nanoparticles
dispersed in a matrix of alumina nanoparticles, green bodies with oriented
microplatelets were prepared using magnetic assisted slip casting (MASC). The
effects of the sintering temperature, time and heating rate on the density and
microstructure of the obtained ceramics were then studied. We found that TGG
occurs for a temperature range between 1640 and 1780 {\deg}C and 10 s sintering
time. Sintering at 1700 {\deg}C for 10 s led to dense and textured alumina with
anisotropic grains thanks to the Fe3O4 coating, which did not have the time to
diffuse. The highest texture and relative density were obtained with a heating
rate of ~5,500 {\deg}C/min, leading to texture-dependent anisotropic mechanical
properties. This study opens new avenues for fabricating textured ceramics in
ultra-short times.
