Flexible Sensing Electrodes: From Materials Design to Device Fabrication

Driven by the rapid advancement of routine health management and intelligent human–machine interaction technologies in the post-pandemic era, wearable flexible sensing electrodes have emerged as key enabling platforms for long-term physiological monitoring and next-generation bioelectronic systems. Compared with conventional rigid electrodes, flexible sensing electrodes offer superior mechanical compliance, lightweight characteristics, and improved biocompatibility, enabling stable acquisition of physiological signals under dynamic conditions. However, achieving the simultaneous optimization of conductivity, mechanical flexibility, biocompatibility, and long-term operational stability remains a significant challenge, requiring synergistic advances in material design and fabrication strategies. This review systematically summarizes recent progress in flexible sensing electrodes from three perspectives: material systems, fabrication technologies, and practical applications. Specifically, the intrinsic properties and design strategies of flexible substrates, sensing layers, and encapsulation layers are critically analyzed. Diverse fabrication approaches, including printing technologies, solution processing, photolithography, and laser-assisted manufacturing, are further discussed, with emphasis on scalability and engineering challenges. Finally, representative applications, current limitations, and future opportunities for intelligent, multimodal, and scalable flexible sensing systems are highlighted to guide future research and commercialization.