Centimetre-size single crystals of LiCoO2 were successfully grown using a floating-zone method associated with an image furnace. A high-pressure oxygen atmosphere and a relatively small growth speed were found necessary to prevent the formation of impurity phases in the grown crystal. A single crystal with a reduced amount of lithium was obtained by means of the chemical de-lithiation process using as grown LiCoO2 single crystal as the starting material. Growth conditions together with magnetic and structural properties of these crystals are discussed here. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.