Chemically Doped Conductive Polymers for Wearable Health Monitoring

Journal article : Review

Chemically doped conductive polymers are a class of “synthetic metals” that combine metal‐level electrical conductivity with intrinsic mechanical flexibility, and they are emerging as core materials for wearable health‐monitoring technologies. This review systematically summarizes recent advances in the field, focusing on chemical doping strategies—including small‐molecule dopants, ionic liquids, and polymeric dopants—that effectively overcome the intrinsic conductivity limitations of conductive polymers while simultaneously improving mechanical compliance and environmental stability. Enabled by these material innovations, high‐performance flexible sensors based on piezoresistive and chemiresistive mechanisms have been developed, allowing in situ, high‐fidelity monitoring of physiological signals such as electrocardiography, electromyography, and joint motion, as well as environmental hazards including toxic gases and ultraviolet radiation. From a fabrication perspective, printed electronics and fiber‐spinning technologies provide scalable and low‐cost routes for producing flexible devices and electronic textiles. Furthermore, through flexible hybrid electronics, sensing elements have been successfully integrated with wireless communication and power supply modules to form complete wearable systems. Although challenges remain in long‐term stability, reproducibility, and large‐scale manufacturing, the integration of doping engineering with artificial intelligence and self‐powered technologies is accelerating the evolution of chemically doped conductive polymers toward multimodal sensing, intelligent data analysis, and personalized health management, highlighting their substantial potential.

Authors: Zuo, M; Song, J; Hu, H; Zheng, L; Zhang, L

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: Wiley
• Journal: Advanced Materials Technologies
• Article number: e02209
• Publication date: 2026-03-10
• Acceptance date: 2026-02-25
• DOI: 10.1002/admt.202502209
• EISSN: 2365709X
• ISSN: 2365709X
• Language: English
• Keywords: wearable devices; conductive polymers; chemical doping; health monitoring
• Subtype: Review