ABSTRACT
From the chemical point of view, carbon is one of the most versatile elements in the periodic table. Its ability to form different types of chemical bonds results in a wide variety of allotropes with peculiar properties. In addition to the amorphous configuration, carbon can be found in the form of carbon fibers, diamond, fullerene, graphite (and graphene), or nanotubes (Pierson 1993). Forasmuch as nanotubes present amazing structural, mechanical, electrical, thermal, and chemical properties, they serve as fundamental elements in the world of nanotechnology, being considered strategic materials in current technologies and in the coming decades. Carbon nanotubes have outstanding mechanical and electronic properties owing to the combination of their dimensionality (high length-diameter ratio), structure, and topology and are extremely flexible and rigid compounds that resist to high tensions (Saito et al. 1998).
