Nanomaterial-Enabled Flexible Wearable Sensors for Sports Monitoring and Rehabilitation: Material Architectures, Interface Design, and Signal Reliability
4 affiliations
- 1School of Physical Education, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing 211816, China
- 2Faculty of Education, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
- 3School of Energy Science and Engineering, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing 211816, China
- 4School of Chemical Engineering and Energy Technology, Dongguan University of Technology, Dongguan 523808, China
Abstract
Flexible wearable sensors increasingly use nanomaterials and nanoscale interfaces to acquire biomechanical, electrophysiological, and biochemical signals during sports and rehabilitation, where repeated deformation, perspiration, and variable body contact challenge measurement stability. This review examines how the nanomaterial architecture and body–sensor interface design influence signal reliability under dynamic operating conditions. Carbon nanomaterials, MXenes, conductive polymers, metallic nanostructures, and soft nanocomposites are discussed together with matrices and fibrous supports that regulate their mechanical and chemical interfaces. Emphasis is placed on the links between nanoarchitecture, transport behavior, interfacial coupling, and major transduction routes. Representative applications in motion monitoring, exercise physiology, sweat analysis, and rehabilitation are then assessed in terms of signal stability and physiological interpretability. The literature indicates that sensitivity alone is an incomplete measure of wearable performance because working range, hysteresis, adhesion, sampling variability, and calibration drift often become limiting factors under repeated use. Reliable sensing depends on preserving a stable relationship between the target stimulus and sensor output across realistic operating conditions. Future work should focus on robust nanoarchitectures, adaptive body–sensor interfaces, application-specific calibration, and validation under combined mechanical and environmental loading.
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BibTeX
@article{tao2026nanomaterialenabled,
title = {{Nanomaterial-Enabled Flexible Wearable Sensors for Sports Monitoring and Rehabilitation: Material Architectures, Interface Design, and Signal Reliability}},
author = {Yuanqingqing Tao and Ziyi Hao and Yi Zhang and Guo Li and Baizeng Fang},
journal = {Nanomaterials},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3390/nano16211367},
url = {https://www.mdpi.com/2079-4991/16/21/1367},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Nanomaterial-Enabled Flexible Wearable Sensors for Sports Monitoring and Rehabilitation: Material Architectures, Interface Design, and Signal Reliability
AU - Yuanqingqing Tao
AU - Ziyi Hao
AU - Yi Zhang
AU - Guo Li
AU - Baizeng Fang
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/26
JO - Nanomaterials
DO - 10.3390/nano16211367
UR - https://www.mdpi.com/2079-4991/16/21/1367
AB - Flexible wearable sensors increasingly use nanomaterials and nanoscale interfaces to acquire biomechanical, electrophysiological, and biochemical signals during sports and rehabilitation, where repeated deformation, perspiration, and variable body contact challenge measurement stability. This review examines how the nanomaterial architecture and body–sensor interface design influence signal reliability under dynamic operating conditions. Carbon nanomaterials, MXenes, conductive polymers, metallic nanostructures, and soft nanocomposites are discussed together with matrices and fibrous supports that regulate their mechanical and chemical interfaces. Emphasis is placed on the links between nanoarchitecture, transport behavior, interfacial coupling, and major transduction routes. Representative applications in motion monitoring, exercise physiology, sweat analysis, and rehabilitation are then assessed in terms of signal stability and physiological interpretability. The literature indicates that sensitivity alone is an incomplete measure of wearable performance because working range, hysteresis, adhesion, sampling variability, and calibration drift often become limiting factors under repeated use. Reliable sensing depends on preserving a stable relationship between the target stimulus and sensor output across realistic operating conditions. Future work should focus on robust nanoarchitectures, adaptive body–sensor interfaces, application-specific calibration, and validation under combined mechanical and environmental loading.
SN - 2079-4991
ER -