Containerless solidification and thermophysical properties of BaTiO3 were studied using a pressurized electrostatic levitation furnace and varying the heating temperature and the cooling rates of several samples. The solid and liquid densities of BaTiO3 over a range of 1220 to 2200 K were determined using containerless techniques. A single crystal of hexagonal BaTiO3 grown with this method exhibited a giant permittivity exceeding 100,000 at room temperature. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.