Review: self-healing materials and their applications

Self-healing materials are composite materials that can repair themselves after damage, extending their service life and reducing the burden on the user. The use of dressings made from self-healing materials eliminates the need for multiple dressing changes; the use of coatings made from self-healing materials extends the use of coatings, eliminates the need for frequent coating changes and provides long-lasting protection for the items being protected. The current self-healing materials are generally divided into two categories: exogenous and endogenous materials. This work discusses the fine classification of the two types of self-healing materials as well as the self-healing mechanism. Due to the different types of materials with different internal structures, the materials also exhibit different properties such as electrical conductivity, high-temperature resistance, and strong resistance to external forces. Based on the differences in material properties, this review also summarizes the applications of self-healing materials in the fields of wound dressings, coating materials, sensors, battery electrode, and 3D printing. This review provides a reference for subsequent in-depth research and development of self-healing materials.