Giant M-E effect of multiferroic BaTiO/sub 3/--LaMnO/sub 3/ ceramic composites

The magnetic and dielectric properties of ceramic composites, in which 10 mol% antiferromagnetic LaMnO/sub 3/ was added to ferroelectric BaTiO/sub 3/, have been investigated. X-ray diffraction measurement showed that ceramics sintered in the range of 1050-1150/spl deg/C are composites containing a small amount of (La, Ba)MnO/sub 3/ phase along with BaTiO/sub 3/ phase. These composites were found to be multiferroic materials simultaneously exhibiting ferromagnetic and ferroelectric properties at room temperature. When an electric field of 2.3 kV/mm was applied to the composite sintered at 1200/spl deg/C, a reduction of spontaneous magnetization as large as 70% was observed at room temperature. This reduction may be ascribed to the decrease of electron transfer interaction of the precipitated ferromagnetic (La, Ba)MnO/sub 3/ caused by electrostriction of the surrounding BaTiO/sub 3/ matrix.