Recent progress in three-dimensional flexible physical sensors

ABSTRACT Three-dimensional (3D) functional systems are of rapidly growing interest over the past decade, from the perspective of both the fundamental and applied research. In particular, tremendous efforts have been devoted to the developments of 3D flexible, physical sensors, partly because of their substantial advantages over planar counterparts in many specific performances. In this review, we summarize recent advances in diverse categories of 3D flexible physical sensors, covering the photoelectric, mechanical, temperature, magnetic, and other physical sensors. This review mainly focuses on their design strategies, working principles and applications. Finally, we offer an outlook on the future developments, and provide perspectives on the remaining challenges and opportunities in this area. Graphical abstract