Progress in conductive strategies for silk fibroin in smart wearables

Silk fibroin-based intelligent wearable systems represent a cutting-edge research domain at the intersection of artificial intelligence and precision medicine, deriving core efficacy from the material’s intrinsic advantages encompassing exceptional mechanical robustness, superior interfacial biocompatibility, and architecturally tunable hierarchical structures. This comprehensive review systematically synthesizes advancements in conductive modification strategies for silk fibroin biomaterials and their integration within smart wearable technologies. We elucidate the molecular foundations enabling device functionality, emphasizing how amphiphilic polypeptide chains facilitate programmable structural modifications. Five principal conductive functionalization methodologies are critically evaluated: conductive layer deposition on silk fibroin surfaces, electrochemical deposition of silk fibroin coatings, conductive-core/silk-shell composite fibers via inverse coating, silk fibroin-based conductive hydrogels, and ​piezoelectric silk fibroin composites. Each strategy undergoes comparative assessment regarding electrical performance characteristics, mechanical durability under deformation, manufacturing scalability, biocompatibility profiles, and environmental stability.Applications are comprehensively examined across smart wearable domains, encompassing continuous bioelectrical signal monitoring systems, multisource energy conversion and harvesting technologies, and advanced flexible energy storage solutions. Significant developments are documented in epidermal electrophysiological sensors, biomechanical energy harvesters, and conformal power components leveraging modified silk fibroin substrates. Notwithstanding these advancements, critical technological barriers persist, including limitations in long-term environmental stability under physiological conditions, scalability constraints in high-resolution fabrication processes, signal integrity deterioration during sustained electrophysiological monitoring, and unresolved trade-offs between electrical conductivity and mechanical elasticity.Future research trajectories emphasize multimodal functional integration strategies through dynamic self-healing conductive networks, machine learning-enhanced adaptive systems, three-dimensional hydrogel fabrication techniques, and closed-loop therapeutic platforms for personalized medical interventions. This review consolidates a technical framework for performance optimization in silk fibroin-based wearable systems, providing fundamental design principles and theoretical guidance for next-generation intelligent biomedical devices. These innovations prioritize enhanced functionality, operational reliability, and biocompatibility while aligning with international medical device standards and addressing evolving demands in precision healthcare delivery through sustainable technological solutions.