As the core branch of smart coating technology, self-healing silicone coating is pushing coating technology into the intelligent era by simulating the self-healing mechanism of biological damage, combining the high stability of silicone materials with the empowerment of nanotechnology. The following are its technical principles, application breakthroughs and future development directions:

‌1. Technical mechanism: three major self-healing paths‌
‌Microcapsule repair system‌
Microcapsules (particle size 1-500μm) containing repair agents (such as siloxane monomers or corrosion inhibitors) are embedded in the coating. When the coating is damaged, the crack stress causes the capsule to rupture, and the repair agent is released and polymerized to fill the damage. For example, after adding microcapsules to the automotive coating, the self-healing rate of scratches exceeds 90% within 30 seconds‌.

‌Intrinsic reversible chemical bonds‌
Using dynamic bonds (such as Diels-Alder bonds and hydrogen bonds) in the silicone molecular chain, broken bonds are reorganized under thermal/light stimulation. Polyurethane-modified silicone coatings can repair microcracks by heating at 80°C, and the number of cycle repairs can reach more than 5 times‌.
‌Intelligent response of nanocontainers‌
Metal organic framework (MOF) or zeolite imidazole framework (ZIF) nanocontainers are loaded with corrosion inhibitors (such as 8-hydroxyquinoline) and accurately released when encountering a corrosive environment. Experiments show that the anti-corrosion efficiency of the coating with 0.1g/L Q@ZIF-8 added to aluminum alloys is 91%.

‌2. Breakthrough in cutting-edge applications‌
‌Extreme protection in aerospace‌
‌High temperature self-repairing‌: Yttrium-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) nanocoating uses gradient doping technology (8-12mol% Y₂O₃) to maintain a cubic phase structure at 1800°C, and the thermal cycle life is increased to 1500 times‌.
‌Anti-CMAS corrosion‌: BaZrO₃/YSZ composite coating reacts with molten silicate to form barium feldspar, reducing the CMAS penetration depth from 300μm to 50μm, which is used for rocket nozzle protection‌.
‌Long-term antifouling for marine engineering‌
The polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)-based self-healing coating solves the problem of static ship antifouling through low surface energy fouling desorption and microcapsule repair technology. Experiments have confirmed that its antifouling life is extended by 3 times and maintenance costs are reduced by 80%. ‌Invisible protection for electronic equipment‌
The dual protection system of quantum encryption chip triggering physical fuse + nano self-healing coating has been applied to high-end folding screen hinges. Unauthorized disassembly will activate the coating self-repair and fuse the circuit.‌