Graphene, a technological device from the University of Manchester which was awarded the 2010 Nobel Prize in Physics, has been utilized to create flexible and tough water filtration devices, digital touchscreens, drug delivery systems, and enhanced night vision contact lenses. It is a veritable wonder material; just this year it has formed the basis of an additional technological innovation – a microphone almost 32 times more sensitive than standard ones. This new invention is defined in the journal 2D Materials.

The graphene membrane, a mere 30 carbon atoms thick, was cultivated on a nickel-based foil utilizing a process called CVD (chemical vapor deposition). Within CVD, reactive, gaseous materials (like methane, a compound containing carbon) interact with a substrate, (the foil), to generate graphene. Following the graphene sheets beginning to crystallize out upon the foil, the nickel carefully was removed.

Normally, microphone performance is measured and tested by recording a sequence of sound waves over a frequency range, from the low 10 hertz to the higher 24 kilohertz – around the entire hearing range. Frequency is associated with a sound’s “pitch,’ whereby the amplitude is associated with its “loudness.” Sound waves that increase in frequency yet remain at consistent amplitudes were blasted at this graphene foil.

The more the membrane’s vibration matches up with the sound wave’s wave pattern, the more sensitive its’ deemed to be. The results, as compared with regular nickel-based membranes, were amazing. It exhibited a 32-fold rise in sensitivity around a substantial portion of the audio spectrum: 11 kilohertz, around a dizzying range of amplitudes.

In today’s social media age it’s very difficult to handle relationships. Breaking up with somebody often means that you end up continuing to look at their photos online, you find out when they enter into a new relationship and exactly what they’re doing after you break up. While deleting someone as a friend on Facebook can send a strong message and make it difficult to potentially rekindle a romance later on, Facebook is introducing new features that make ending relationships easier.

This week Facebook launched a number of tools that sets different privacy alerts for people who have recently broken up over Facebook. This means that when a breakup occurs officially and a person changes their relationship status the social network will give each party the option to limit status updates, photos, videos and more that a former partner might see.

To go one step further these privacy options also allow users to edit some of their past posts giving partners the chance to un-tag themselves from previous photos all at once or through individual posts. This gives users the option to go absolutely nuclear and delete their relationship from Facebook altogether. Facebook won’t make these changes painful either and as you untagged yourself from photos Facebook won’t alert the other person to changes in tagging behavior.

It will be interesting to see exactly what these new relationship options can bring for dedicated Facebook users and those who are transitioning out of relationships over social media. These new options will be launched today throughout the US and for mobile users. Depending on the reception that Facebook gets with these initial changes to privacy option settings they may choose to roll out the update internationally from there.

Have you ever experienced issues with social media coming out of a relationship? Do you think these updates would be helpful to have on your Facebook? Comment below.