With the development of intelligent medical technology and wearable sensing technology, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)-based conductive hydrogels have emerged as the core functional materials for human physiological sign monitoring due to their excellent flexibility, ionic conductivity, and biocompatibility. This article systematically reviewed the research progress of crosslinking preparation technology, core performance optimization strategy and physical sign monitoring application of the material. The mechanism, characteristics and application scenarios of physical and chemical cross-linking preparation systems were analyzed, and the key value of physical-chemical cross-linking collaborative application to improve the stability of material network structure was clarified. At the same time, the multi-dimensional optimization strategies for mechanics, electrical conductivity, self-healing and anti-freezing performance are sorted out, and the mechanism of action of double network construction, dynamic bond regulation, ion and solvent system optimization is clarified.

Relying on the physical characteristics of ion conduction to realize reversible conversion of force-electrical signals, the material can accurately capture large movements such as joint flexion and extension, muscle contraction, and subtle physiological signals such as pulse, swallowing, and breathing. It can also be extended to multiple physical sign monitoring scenarios such as voiceprint recognition to meet a variety of practical application requirements. In the modeling study, we have systematically summarized the core physical models and multiphysics modeling frameworks for ionic and nanocomposite hydrogels, clarifying the quantitative formulations and underlying physical mechanisms of each model.