Magnetic, dielectric and magnetoelectric properties of new family of orthorhombic multiferroic Eu1-xYxMNO3 manganites

Multiferroic ground states with a spatially modulated antiferromagnetic structure and electric polarization have been revealed in Eu1-xYxMnO3 (0.2 <= x <= 0.5) single crystals. While the slightly substituted (x <= 0.1) compounds exhibited a transition from the incommensurate (IC) to the canted antiferromagnetic (CAF) state at T-CA < T-N, the transitions from IC to commensurate ferroelectric (C/FE) phase were observed at T-lock < T-N for x>0.2. Various phase transitions were observed in the magnetic fields up to 250 kOe along a, b, c axes by magnetization, magnetostriction and electric polarization measurements which show an existence of a spontaneous electric polarization below T-lock. (C) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.