Conductive Polymers: Applications, Limitations, and Prospects in Flexible Wearable Devices

Yuzhe Hu

doi:10.54254/2755-2721/2025.GL27535

Applied and Computational EngineeringOpen access

Conductive Polymers: Applications, Limitations, and Prospects in Flexible Wearable Devices

Research Article

Open Access

Conductive Polymers: Applications, Limitations, and Prospects in Flexible Wearable Devices

Yuzhe Hu ^1*

¹ Hangzhou HGW High School-New Channel

^*Corresponding author: henryhu823@gmail.com

Published on 2 October 2025

ACE Vol.187

ISSN (Print): 2755-273X

ISSN (Online): 2755-2721

ISBN (Print): 978-1-80590-393-2

ISBN (Online): 978-1-80590-394-9

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Abstract

This paper focuses on the application of conductive polymer in flexible wearable devices. At the start, the importance of flexible wearable devices in daily healthcare and the strengths of flexible wearable devices over traditional wearable devices are introduced. The material to build a flexible wearable device is special; it needs to acquire High Flexibility, High Conductivity, and Biocompatibility. In this case, the paper introduces conductive polymers, and it also lists three kinds of conductive polymers that are mainly applied in flexible devices. Polystyrene Sulfonate (PEDOT: PSS), Polyaniline (PANI), and Polypyrrole (PPy). The properties and strengths of three kinds of materials are introduced, and their applications are also listed. Practical applications include PANI-based electrochemical sensors for real-time sweat pH monitoring (aiding in detecting diabetes, etc.) and PEDOT: PSS-based flexible EEG devices, which replace rigid electrodes and conductive gels to enhance comfort. The paper also mentions the drawbacks of conductive polymers and states the future development of conductive polymers.

Keywords:

Flexible Wearable Device, conductive Polymers, PEDOT: PSS, conductivity, Biocompatibility

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References

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[2]. National Institutes of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (2025). Health Risks of Overweight & Obesity https: //www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/weight-management/adult-overweight-obesity/health-risks

[3]. S. Seneviratne et al., "A Survey of Wearable Devices and Challenges, " in IEEE Communications Surveys & Tutorials, vol. 19, no. 4, pp. 2573-2620, Fourthquarter 2017

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[7]. Balan, D., Singh, B., Sheokand, A. et al. Electrical conductivity of Polypyrrole and Polypyrrole/Multi-walled Carbon Nanotube Composites and their acetone gas-sensing properties. J Mater Sci: Mater Electron 36, 354 (2025)

[8]. Mazzara, F., Patella, B., D’Agostino, C., Bruno, M. G., Carbone, S., Lopresti, F., Aiello, G., Torino, C., Vilasi, A., O’Riordan, A., & Inguanta, R. (2021). PANI-Based Wearable Electrochemical Sensor for pH Sweat Monitoring. Chemosensors, 9(7), 169.

[9]. de Camp, N.V., Kalinka, G. & Bergeler, J. Light-cured polymer electrodes for non-invasive EEG recordings. Sci Rep 8, 14041 (2018).

References

[1]. World Health Organization (2025). Obesity and overweight. Retrieved from https: //www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/obesity-and-overweight

[3]. S. Seneviratne et al., "A Survey of Wearable Devices and Challenges, " in IEEE Communications Surveys & Tutorials, vol. 19, no. 4, pp. 2573-2620, Fourthquarter 2017

[4]. Dai, B., Gao, C., & Xie, Y. (2022). Flexible wearable devices for intelligent health monitoring. View, 3(5), 20220027.

[9]. de Camp, N.V., Kalinka, G. & Bergeler, J. Light-cured polymer electrodes for non-invasive EEG recordings. Sci Rep 8, 14041 (2018).

Cite this article

Hu,Y. (2025). Conductive Polymers: Applications, Limitations, and Prospects in Flexible Wearable Devices. Applied and Computational Engineering,187,1-5.

Data availability

The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study will be available from the authors upon reasonable request.

About volume

Volume title: Proceedings of CONF-FMCE 2025 Symposium: Semantic Communication for Media Compression and Transmission

ISBN: 978-1-80590-393-2(Print) / 978-1-80590-394-9(Online)

Editor: Anil Fernando

Conference website: https://2025.conffmce.org/glasgow.html

Conference date: 24 October 2025

Series: Applied and Computational Engineering

Volume number: Vol.187

ISSN: 2755-2721(Print) / 2755-273X(Online)

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