Sensing performance of electrically conductive fabrics and suspension lines for parachute systems

The electronic sensing capabilities of parachute fabrics and suspension lines coated with conducting polymers, single-walled carbon nanotubes, and their composites are described. A new synthetic method is described to obtain a thin, strongly adhering coating of conducting polymers on commercial parachute fabrics and suspension lines using oligoanilines as an undercoating. The results indicate that both materials have a sensing ability; however, the coated suspension lines show superior performance compared to the coated parachute fabrics.