A new technique that employs a temperature gradient and a mechanical drive system in an image furnace, has been developed for the solid-state crystallization. A crystal is continuously grown from a polycrystalline feed rod by scanning the heating area along the length direction using a conventional floating zone furnace. This technique differs from the floating zone method since the grain growth is realized without a melt zone. Using this technique, we have succeeded in growing large single crystals of Cu3-xZrxMo2O9, with their size reaching circle star 6 mm x 65 mm. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.