The Effect of Mechanical Activation on the Synthesis and Properties of Multiferroic Lead Iron Niobate
The present work studies the effect of high-energy mechanical activation using the planetary-centrifugal ball mill AGO-2 and subsequent annealing on the synthesis and magnetic properties of PbFe0.5Nb0.5O3 (PFN). This technique enables one to perform the mechanically activated synthesis of PFN at much shorter time. The results of X-ray phase analysis, electron microscopic studies and transmission Mossbauer 57Fe spectra measurement are presented and discussed. Mossbauer studies show that the temperature of magnetic phase transition in PbFe0.5Nb0.5O3 powders can be changed by mechanical activation and subsequent annealing.
Studies of Ferroelectric and Magnetic Phase Transitions in Pb1−xAxFe1/2Nb1/2O3 (A-Ca, Ba) Solid Solutions
Dielectric and Mossbauer studies of Pb1-xAxFe1/2Nb1/2O3 (A- Ba, Ca) ceramic compositions show that the Néel temperature in these solid solutions drops down at x ≈ 0.15–0.20. At the same threshold the polarization also loses its long-range order and compositions with x > 0.1 exhibit relaxor behavior. The data obtained suggests that there exists a Pb-mediated superexchange controlling the long-range antiferromagnetic order. Thus, studied multifunctional solid solutions demonstrate the possibility of controlling the magnetic and ferroelectric properties simultaneously by changing the concentration of nonmagnetic lead cations only.
Socially responsible enterprise in Cuba: a positive role model for Corporate Social Responsibility?’
This article examines the unique institutional environment of socialist Cuba, where currently a process of controlled marketization and expansion of private enterprise is taking place. The article investigates business behaviour in Cuba with particular reference to implicit assumptions relating to socially responsible enterprise, or Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) as the term is understood in Western Liberal Democracies. It draws upon a series of interviews with business practitioners and business commentators (both Cuban and non-Cuban residents on the island). The interviews focused on the participants’ awareness of business ethics and socially responsible enterprise, and the cultural differences in assumptions and expectations relating to the concept of CSR between the Cuban and non-Cuban interviewees. We find that Cuba at this early stage of tentative marketization presents a positive role model of socially responsible enterprise. Both the highly regulated State economy and the embedded norms and values of social equity that have emerged as a consequence of Cuba’s socialist revolution facilitate business social responsibility. The relevance of this research to current debates in relation to CSR is discussed and it is argued that capitalist economies may similarly benefit from tighter regulatory control and by cultivating more pro-social business norms that prioritise ethical over economic concerns.