Calcium barium niobate Ca0.28Ba0.72Nb2O6 (CBN-28) crystals were successfully grown by the Czochralski method. X-ray powder diffraction experiments indicated that CBN single crystals are tetragonal with a = 12.432(+/- 0.002) angstrom and c = 3.957(+/- 0.001) angstrom, which have almost the same structure as the Sr0.50Ba0.50Nb2O6 (SBN-50) crystal. The thermal expansion coefficient perpendicular to Z-direction had been measured to be 1.25 x 10(-5) K-1 between 293.15 and 572.15 K, and along Z-axis was negative between 298.15 and 543.15 K. The specific heat of the crystal had been measured by the differential scanning calorimetric experiments. The transmittance spectra from 200 to 3200 rim were also measured. The measured temperature dependence of dielectric constants showed that the Curie temperature of the CBN-28 crystals is 260 degrees C, which is about 200 degrees C higher than that of the (SBN) crystal. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.