A brief introduction is presented on transition metal oxide bronzes and their relationship to the phosphate tungsten bronzes; the latter compounds are the major focus of this review. The phosphate tungsten bronzes (PTB) are a new class of quasi-low-dimensional materials which exhibit charge density wave (CDW) instabilities. The growth of single crystals and investigation of the physical properties including the temperature dependence of the electrical resistivity and magnetic susceptibility on oriented single crystals are discussed for selected members of the major families in the PTB’s. Correlation of the physical measurement data with structural properties, X-ray diffraction data and results of the theoretical band structure calculations are also presented.
