  A review of our investigations on single crystals of LnFeAsO1-xFx (Ln=La, Pr,
Nd, Sm, Gd) and Ba1-xRbxFe2As2 is presented. A high pressure technique has been
applied for the growth of LnFeAsO1-xFx crystals, while Ba1-xRbxFe2As2 crystals
were grown using quartz ampoule method. Single crystals were used for
electrical transport, structure, magnetic torque and spectroscopic studies.
Investigations of the crystal structure confirmed high structural perfection
and show less than full occupation of the (O, F) position in superconducting
LnFeAsO1-xFx crystals. Resistivity measurements on LnFeAsO1-xFx crystals show a
significant broadening of the transition in high magnetic fields, whereas the
resistive transition in Ba1 xRbxFe2As2 simply shifts to lower temperature.
Critical current density for both compounds is relatively high and exceeds
2x109 A/m2 at 15 K in 7 T. The anisotropy of magnetic penetration depth,
measured on LnFeAsO1-xFx crystals by torque magnetometry is temperature
dependent and apparently larger than the anisotropy of the upper critical
field. Ba1-xRbxFe2As2 crystals are electronically significantly less
anisotropic. Point-Contact Andreev-Reflection spectroscopy indicates the
existence of two energy gaps in LnFeAsO1-xFx. Scanning Tunneling Spectroscopy
reveals in addition to a superconducting gap, also some feature at high energy
(~20 meV).
