Self‐Healing Engineering Ceramics with Oxidation‐Induced Crack Repair

Engineering ceramics capable of restoring damage‐induced surface cracking may achieve enhanced reliability and longer lifetime at high temperature applications compared with nonhealing ceramics. Selection of healing agents dispersed in ceramic matrix composites which upon oxidation with environmental oxygen may rapidly fill the volume of a surface crack and recover compromised strength are reviewed. Novel approaches envisage acceleration of crack healing to reduce healing period as well as healing temperature. Potential fields of application for self‐healing ceramics operating at elevated service temperatures are presented.