This paper describes the formation process of nanostructured alumina coatings and the injection system obtained by suspension plasma spraying (SPS), an alternative to the atmospheric plasma spraying technique in which the material feedstock is a suspension of the nanopowder to be sprayed. The nanoscale alumina powders (d &asyum;20 nm) were dispersed in distilled water or ethanol and injected by a peristaltic pump into plasma under atmospheric conditions. Optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and x-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses were performed to study the microstructure ...