Flexible and wearable electrochemical sensors for health and safety monitoring.

Environmental safety monitoring is a crucial process that involves continuous and systematic observation and analysis of various pollutants in the environment to ensure its quality and safety. This monitoring encompasses a wide range of areas, including physical indicator monitoring (pertaining to parameters such as temperature, humidity, and wind speed), chemical indicator monitoring (focused on detecting harmful substances in environmental media such as air, water, and soil), and ecosystem monitoring (including biodiversity assessments and judgments on the health status of ecosystems). This review delves deeply into the significant advancements achieved in the field of flexible and wearable electrochemical sensors (FWESs) over the past fifteen years (from 2010 to 2024). It emphasizes the broad application of these sensors in health and environmental safety monitoring, with health monitoring primarily focusing on exhaled breath and sweat, and environmental monitoring covering temperature, humidity, and pollutants in air and water. By seamlessly integrating electrochemical principles, advanced sensor manufacturing technologies, and sensor functionalization, FWESs have opened up new avenues for non-invasive real-time monitoring of human health and environmental safety. This review highlights key developments in sensor structures, including flexible substrates, printed electrodes, and active materials. It also underscores the remarkable progress made in healthcare and environmental monitoring through the utilization of FWES. Despite these promising advancements, this emerging field still faces numerous challenges, such as improving sensor accuracy, enhancing durability, and reducing costs. The review concludes by discussing the future directions in this field, including ongoing research efforts aimed at overcoming these challenges and expanding the applications of FWESs in various sectors.