Abstract

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. In applications such as power transmission, capacitors, batteries, actuators, and energy harvesters, the material or device can be subject to a high electric field, high current, or high mechanical stress. Combinations of these electrical and mechanical loads are also possible, which provides unique opportunities to develop new self-healing materials for such challenging conditions. In this Perspective, damage and recovery mechanisms are under high electrical stress are outlined, along with modeling and simulation approaches to understand the underlying mechanisms. The exploitation of healing processes in specific high-stress applications and future directions are discussed. Since electrical and mechanical damage often initiates at defects, there is significant potential for new multi-disciplinary research and materials development. This Perspective examines current research directions in self-healing under conditions of high electric and mechanical stress. Applications include power transmission cables, storage capacitors, battery systems, actuators, and energy harvesters. Areas for future research directions are identified.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)989-1008
Number of pages20
JournalMatter
Volume3
Issue number4
Early online date7 Oct 2020
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 7 Oct 2020

Funding

All authors contributed to writing of individual sections. These include Y.Z. (mechanisms), H.K. (treeing and harvesting), M.P. (electroactive devices), J.R. (modeling and mechanisms), C.B. (introduction and conclusions), and C.W. (batteries and electroactive polymers). Y.Z. also developed original figures.

Keywords

  • breakdown
  • damage tolerance
  • electric stress
  • high field
  • modeling
  • self-healing

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Materials Science

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