  Eu1-xYxMnO3 exhibits, unlike other magnetoelectric systems, very distinctive
features. Its magnetoelectric properties is driven by the magnetic spin of the
Mn3+ ion, but they can be drastically changed by varying the content of Y3+,
which it does not carry any magnetic moment. Though the x = 0.40 composition
has been studied extensively, some basic questions still remain to be
thoroughly understood. Thus, this work is aimed at studying some of its polar
properties and their magnetic field dependence as well. The experimental
results here reported have shown that this material is very easily polarisable
under external electric fields, and so, whenever the polarization is obtained
from time integration of the displacement currents, an induced polarization is
superposed to the spontaneous one, eventually masking the occurrence of
ferroelectricity. We have found clear evidence for the influence of a magnetic
field in the polar properties of Eu0.6Y0.4MnO3. The study of electric
polarization of Eu0.6Y0.4MnO3 under an external magnetic field yields a value
with the same order of magnitude of the remanent polarization determined from
polarization reversal experiments. The comparison of the magnetic induced
changes on the polarization obtained in polycrystalline samples and single
crystals confirms the threshold magnetic field value for the polarization
rotation from the a- to the c-direction, and evidencing the importance of the
granular nature of the samples in the polar response to magnetic field.
