Single crystals of PbIn1/2Nb1/2O3 (PIN), PbIn1/2Ta1/2O3 (PIT), PbYb1/2Nb1/2O3 (PYN), PbYb1/2Ta1/2O3 (PYT) and PbMg1/2W1/2O3 (PMW) have been grown by the flux method. The PbO-based solvents were used. Transparent, light yellow and arrow like shaped PIN and PIT crystals of the perovskite structure were obtained. Small amounts of red and of octahedron habit PIN and PIT crystals of the pyrochlore type were simultaneously grown. In the case of PYN, PYT and PMW only the crystals of the perovskite structure have been grown. The transparent and brown PYN and PYT crystals of octahedron habit were obtained. The transparent, light yellow and of octahedron or truncated octahedron shape PMW crystals were grown. The crystals were characterised by X-ray and dielectric studies. They showed that as-grown PIN crystals are nearly disordered, exhibit the rhombohedral distortion of the pseudo-perovskite unit cell and reveal relaxor behaviour. The partially ordered PIT crystals show monoclinic distortion and undergo antiferroelectric-paraelectric phase transition. The PYN, PYT and PMW single crystals, characterised by chemical order in the B'/B '' ion sublattice, exhibit orthorhombic symmetry and undergo the first-order antiferroelectric-paraelectric phase transitions. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.