  We have observed the magnetoelectric response at room temperature and above
in high-resistive ceramics made of multiferroic Pb(Fe1/2Nb1/2)O3 (PFN) and
PFN-based solid solution 0.91PFN-0.09PbTiO3 (PFN-PT). The value of the
paramagnetoelectric (PME) coefficient shows a pronounced maximum near the
ferroelectric-to-paraelectric phase transition temperature, T_C, and then
decreases sharply to zero for T>T_C. The maximal PME coefficient in PFN is
about 4x10(-18) s/A. The theoretical description of the PME effect, within the
framework of a Landau theory of phase transitions allowing for realistic
temperature dependences of spontaneous polarization, dielectric and magnetic
susceptibilities, qualitatively reproduces well the temperature dependence of
the PME coefficient. In particular, the Landau theory predicts the significant
increase of the PME effect at low temperatures and near the temperature of the
paraelectric-to-ferroelectric phase transition, since the PME coefficient is
equal to the product of the spontaneous polarization, dielectric permittivity,
square of magnetic susceptibility and the coefficient quantifying the strength
of the biquadratic magnetoelectric coupling
