Abstract
The structural, magnetic and dielectric properties of multiferroic compound Tb 0.5 Eu 0.5 MnO 3 are reported near the boundary of the multiferroic phase of the Eu-doped Tb 1-x Eu x MnO 3 system. The Mn 3+ moments order in an incommensurate antiferromagnetic manner below T N 50 K, followed by a spin canting-like response around 25 K. Below T N , extra hysteresis loops were observed for applied fields B a around 1-2 T, with decreasing magnetic / K moment for increasing magnetic fields. The dielectric constant ε' showed a peak at 28, which was attributed to the ferroelectric transition in analogy with the parent compound TbMnO 3 . Structural analysis indicates the Mn-O2-Mn bond angle within the ab-plane is 145.9° suggesting that there exists a critical angle in the perovskite manganate multiferroic systems. © Published under licence by IOP Publishing Ltd.