Self-Healing of Materials under High Electrical Stress

There is an increasing demand for materials and electronic devices to operate under conditions of high electrical or mechanical stress, or a combination of both. Applications include high-voltage insulation, capacitors, batteries, actuation, and energy harvesting. Since the application of a high electric field, current, or mechanical stress can introduce damage, there is a growing need to improve damage tolerance or provide a degree of self-healing to recover properties and functionality. This Perspective provides an overview of the current research directions in self-healing under conditions of high electric and mechanical stress. Damage and recovery mechanisms are initially outlined, which includes healing and damage tolerance by electrical clearing, dielectric breakdown, and electrical treeing. Modeling and simulation processes to better understand the mechanisms are also discussed. The exploitation of such healing processes in specific applications are then described, which include power transmission cables, storage capacitors, battery systems, actuators, and energy harvesters. Areas for future research directions are identified.