Materials that are hybrid constructions (combining organic and inorganic precursors) and quasi-two-dimensional (with malleable and highly compactable molecular structures) are on the rise in several technological applications, such as the fabrication of ever-smaller optoelectronic devices. An article published in the journal Physical Review B describes a study in this field resulting from the doctoral research of Diana Meneses Gustin and Luís…

Optomechanical devices, which simultaneously confine light waves and mechanical waves to permit interaction between them, can be used both to study fundamental questions in physics and to sense motion in a way similar to electromechanical accelerometers. In smartphones, these electronic components switch the touchscreen between portrait and landscape when they detect rotation by the user.…