Abstract: An improved method for the formation of composite hydroxides or oxides comprising, on an oxide basis, Al2O3 and ZrO2, and optionally CeO2, La2O3, Nd2O3, Pr6O11, Sm2O3, Y2O3, and other rare earth oxides, comprising the steps of preparing an aqueous metal salt solution and forming a hydroxide precipitate slurry by combining the aqueous metal salt solution with an aqueous solution of a caustic alkali at a pH greater than 8.5 to precipitate out all the metal species. The variation in pH during the precipitation reaction is ±1. The invention also relates to composites formed by this method comprising 20-70 wt % Al2O3, 10-77 wt % ZrO2, 0-34 wt % CeO2 and 0-22 wt % REOs other than CeO2, and to composites per se comprising, on an oxide basis, 42-70 wt % Al2O3, 10-48 wt % ZrO2, 2-34 wt % CeO2 and 0-9 wt % REOs other than CeO2 and having the following properties after heating to 850° C. over four hours and holding at 850° C.