What can Focus Metals expect to gain from the current race concerning graphene research

There is currently an astounding amount of research being conducted on graphene, the one atom thick product discovered by  Andre K. Geim, 51, and Konstantin S. Novoselov, 36, both of the University of Manchester,  in the U.K., and as a result they were awarded the  the 2010 Nobel Prize in Physics.  http://pubs.acs.org/cen/news/88/i41/8841news4.html
To bring into perspective just how huge this research has become from a global standpoint, it has been reported that tens of billions of dollars are being spent on the research of graphene. This truly leads one to a fuller understanding of why graphene is being heralded as the product that will begin a new age, just as we have seen in the past, with the bronze age followed by the ages of steel and plastic. All of these products went through many growing pains, but have become so commonplace in our lives now, that it is virtually impossible to imagine life without any of them. As with all the hurdles that came up in the research of bronze, steel, and plastic, so too will graphene face many hurdles that need to be conquered, and we are seeing this being met head-on with the entire research community globally.

There are reports that graphene is already slated to be introduced in some products in the near future, as is evidenced in the news release by Samsung, that they have plans to release the new Galaxy Skin, their newest phone, in 2012. In this news release in the Telegraph, from the UK, and written by Gianluca Mezzofiore, we will find that the future has arrived, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/8790189/Flexible-Samsung-phone-to-be-issued-in-2012.html

I am sure that many of us in the world would hope that graphene can be expected to accomplish much more than bendable phones, so let us look at just a sampling of some of the research being conducted currently. How many of us are familiar with catalysts? Surprisingly, we all are, but in many cases we do not realize it. Catalysts speed chemical reactions without being consumed by those reactions. Their importance to society and the economy is tough to overstate. Products made with catalysts include medicines, fuels, foods and fertilizers.
Ninety percent of U.S. chemical manufacturing processes involve catalysts, which also are used to make more than one-fifth of all industrial products. Those processes consume much energy, so making catalytic reactions more efficient would both save energy and reduce emissions of climate-warming carbon dioxide gas. In this article provided by the University of Utah, we learn how University of Utah chemists developed a method to design and test new catalysts, which are substances that speed chemical reactions and are crucial for producing energy, chemicals and industrial products. By using the new method, the chemists also made a discovery that will make it easier to design future catalysts.
http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-09-catalysts-chemists-important-molecules.html

In yet another research project being conducted at the University of California, Riverside, we read how graphene's electrical properties can be tuned. At first this may seem inconsequential, but it may in fact be what is missing from the multitude of research projects around the world, in which they are attempting to replace silicon with graphene. Of course this accidental discovery does not take graphene to the level where we will see graphene being used in supercapacitors just yet, but it does give the entire research community what can be described as a significant breakthrough. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-09/uoc--hge092611.php

These research projects, mentioned in this post, do not even begin to cover the vastness of graphene research globally, but rather only touch on the proverbial tip of the iceberg, regarding the amount of potential uses of graphene. In most cases, although not all obviously, there is a cloak of secrecy being put in place by the various research companies and labs, so it is very difficult to garner information on many of these projects. The reason being given by most companies is that, with so much riding on the pending success of each particular research project, they refuse to speak about the details of their specific research.

As we can see, graphene is ready to start its debut into the mainstream of our lives, in the very near future. With the technology available to the researchers of today, and of course, with the potential for more accidental discoveries, it is completely reasonable to think that graphene will find more uses, also in the near future and in the coming years. As history has shown us over the years, every time we discover a new product such as graphene, it takes an almost immeasurable amount of research in order to bring about the actual full potential of the product. It is therefore, in my opinion, that graphene will continue to be tested and researched exhaustively, and it is this that will bring Focus Metals an unusually high valuation to their company. Focus Metals will obviously stand to make significant financial gains from the sale of graphite, but graphene, due to its pricing, will be what makes Focus Metals extremely valuable. As we experience a global increase in graphene research, it is only realistic to expect that there will be a need for a source of more graphene stock to work with. Since it has been proven that not all graphite can produce graphene, that is of a caliber high enough to make it usable, there will no doubt be value brought to Focus Metals since tests have shown the graphite from Lac Knife is indeed capable of producing graphene of a quality that will be in great demand.

This potential for added value to Focus Metals, will come from Gafoid Inc., since this is a joint venture which Focus Metals holds 40% of, and is a company that is heavily vested into graphene research, with the ultimate goal of patenting and licensing all usable technologies and processes. With Roche working on the 43-101 now that the assays have been returned, and with the knowledge that the graphite contained in the Lac Knife deposit, owned by Focus Metals, is capable of producing a graphene that is considered very usable by the research community, I am reminded of other companies that had just as humble beginnings. For instance, if we consider when  the late, Steve Jobs, first started working in his garage, on what would become the icon of the technology age, who could have foreseen the vision he envisioned. I believe graphene is capable of reaching this level of usability, throughout many sectors and industries, and that the fact of what they own in their Lac Knife deposit, along with the success they stand to potentially realize from Grafoid Inc, will help the company to reach the goal as described by management as the vision they had at the company's inception. Another aspect that will continue to help Focus Metals on their quest is the fact that they are attempting to position themselves with some of the worlds largest graphite and graphene companies. These efforts will prove to be invaluable as Focus Metals continues to work towards becoming a significant world supplier of graphite and graphene.

In closing, I would like to draw attention to one of the key aspects, of why Focus Metals is better positioned to make potentially huge financial gains, as compared to virtually all their competitors. It is well known that whichever company can produce a product at the lowest price is the company that stands to gain the most. Here again Focus Metals had a dramatic edge on competitors, and now with Grafoid Inc working on a process that will revolutionize the cost of production, Focus Metals will stand to benefit tremendously. This process not only lowers the cost of production, but will aid in the purification of the product. It is my understanding that this highly secretive process is one of the patents being applied for. Truly I view Focus Metals as one of the most unique companies available on the market at present.

If this article prompts you to consider Focus Metals as a potential investment choice, I strongly suggest that you do your own due diligence, and that a great place to start is at the Focus Metals website, which can be located at www.focusmetals.ca.

For disclosure purposes I have received no compensation of any kind for this post or my views and opinions contained therein. I own shares in Focus Metals.