Superhydrophobic Wearable Strain Sensors: From Strategic Design to Robustness Paradigm

Abstract Superhydrophobic wearable strain sensors represent an emerging frontier in flexible electronics, offering the potential to bridge the gap between laboratory prototypes and practical applications in humid, corrosive, or underwater environments. However, their widespread adoption is hindered by insufficient robustness against chemical, mechanical, and wetting state failures. The current literature lacks systematic insights into coupled multimode failures and integrated optimization frameworks, and standardized protocols for robustness evaluation remain absent. This review systematically summarizes strategies for material selection, structural design, and functional integration in superhydrophobic systems, with a focus on analyzing failure mechanisms across chemical, mechanical, and interfacial state dimensions. Key quantitative benchmarks—including resistance drift, contact angle retention, and cyclic stability—are established. We introduce a “failure-mechanism-oriented robustness optimization” framework and summarize corresponding testing standards. Finally, we discuss key future challenges and potential breakthroughs, most urgently the development of eco-friendly low-surface-energy modifiers and unified testing protocols, providing a theoretical framework and technological roadmap for the next generation of robust amphibious flexible sensing systems.