We report on the synthesis and characterization of BiFe0.5Mn0.5O3, a
potential type-I multiferroic compound displaying temperature induced
magnetization reversal. Bulk samples were obtained by means of solid state
reaction carried out under the application of hydrostatic pressure at 6 GPa and
1100{\deg}C. The crystal structure is an highly distorted perovskite with no
cation order on the B site, where, besides a complex scheme of tilt and
rotations of the TM-O6 octahedra, large off-centering of the bismuth ions is
detected. Below T1 = 420 K the compound undergoes a first weak ferromagnetic
transition related to the ordering of iron rich clusters. At lower temperatures
(just below RT) two distinct thermally activated mechanisms are superimposed,
inducing at first an enhancement of the magnetization at T2 = 288 K, then a
spontaneous reversal process centered at T3 = 250 K, finally giving rise to a
negative response. The application of fields higher than 1500 Oe suppresses the
process, yielding a ferromagnetic like behaviour. The complementary use of
SQuID magnetometry and M\"ossbauer spectroscopy allowed the interpretation of
the overall magnetic behaviour in terms of an uncompensated weak competitive
coupling between non-equivalent clusters of interactions characterized by
different critical temperatures and resultant magnetizations. PACS numbers:
75.85.+t, 75.60.Jk, 76.80.+y, 75.30.Et, 75.30.KzComment: 30 pages, 13 figure
