Design Strategies and Emerging Applications of Conductive Hydrogels in Wearable Sensing

Conductive hydrogels, integrating high conductivity, mechanical flexibility, and biocompatibility, have emerged as crucial materials driving the evolution of next-generation wearable sensors. Their unique ability to establish seamless interfaces with biological tissues enables real-time acquisition of physiological signals, external stimuli, and even therapeutic feedback, paving the way for intelligent health monitoring and personalized medical interventions. To fully harness their potential, significant efforts have been dedicated to tailoring the conductive networks, mechanical properties, and environmental stability of these hydrogels through rational design and systematic optimization. This review comprehensively summarizes the design strategies of conductive hydrogels, categorized into metal-based, carbon-based, conductive polymer-based, ionic, and hybrid conductive systems. For each type, the review highlights structural design principles, strategies for conductivity enhancement, and approaches to simultaneously enhance mechanical robustness and long-term stability under complex environments. Furthermore, the emerging applications of conductive hydrogels in wearable sensing systems are thoroughly discussed, covering physiological signal monitoring, mechano-responsive sensing platforms, and emerging closed-loop diagnostic–therapeutic systems. Finally, this review identifies key challenges and offers future perspectives to guide the development of multifunctional, intelligent, and scalable conductive hydrogel sensors, accelerating their translation into advanced flexible electronics and smart healthcare technologies.