Design and applications of graphene-based flexible and wearable physical sensing devices

Abstract The rise of human–machine interaction and the internet of things technology requires the development of functionalized sensors that are mechanically flexible and fabulously wearable. Therefore, the emergence of new materials and devices is particularly important for technology design and development. Graphene has the atomically level thickness, mechanical flexibility, lightweights, and high conductivity and transparency. Especially, the large specific area of graphene enables the perception of external stimuli with high sensitivity, which is expected to be used in flexible sensor technology. In this review, we will introduce the research progress of graphene in flexible physical signal sensors, including the device structure design and the applications of these devices in wearable technology. We will overview the development of new directions of sensors, such as miniaturization, intelligence, and multi-modal. We will also focus on the latest technical progress of related sensing devices and point out the challenges and directions of future development of wearable sensors.