Self-healing electrodes represent an emerging class of advanced functional materials designed to enhance the durability, reliability, and operational stability of energy storage and conversion devices. With the growing demand for sustainable energy technologies, including lithium-ion batteries, supercapacitors, fuel cells, and other electrochemical systems, the development of electrode materials capable of autonomously repairing structural and chemical damage has become an important research direction. Conventional electrodes often suffer from mechanical deformation, particle cracking, loss of electrical connectivity, dissolution of active species, and degradation of electrode–electrolyte interfaces during repeated charge–discharge cycles. These limitations adversely affect electrochemical performance, shorten device lifetime, and increase maintenance and replacement costs. Self-healing electrode systems offer a promising strategy to overcome these challenges by restoring damaged structures and maintaining functional integrity during operation.

The fundamental principle of self-healing electrodes involves incorporating dynamic chemical interactions or reversible structural components that enable damage recovery. These mechanisms may include hydrogen bonding, metal–ligand coordination, disulfide exchange, reversible covalent bonding, electrostatic interactions, and dynamic polymer networks. In some systems, intrinsic self-healing is achieved through reversible interactions within the electrode material, whereas extrinsic approaches employ encapsulated healing agents that are released upon damage. Conducting polymers, redox-active polymers, hydrogels, and hybrid nanocomposites are particularly attractive platforms for developing self-healing electrodes because they can combine mechanical flexibility, electrical conductivity, electrochemical activity, and structural adaptability.

The integration of self-healing components with advanced nanomaterials, such as graphene, transition-metal dichalcogenides, metal oxides, and carbon-based conductive networks, can further improve charge transport, active-site accessibility, and interfacial stability. For energy storage applications, self-healing electrodes can potentially mitigate electrode pulverization, preserve conductive pathways, and improve cycling stability in batteries and supercapacitors. In energy conversion technologies, particularly proton exchange membrane fuel cells, self-healing catalyst supports and electrode architectures may help maintain catalyst dispersion, stabilize triple-phase boundaries, and reduce performance losses associated with catalyst degradation and support corrosion.

Despite their considerable potential, several challenges remain, including slow healing kinetics, limited healing efficiency, compatibility with operating environments, reduced electronic conductivity after repair, and difficulties in achieving reproducible large-scale fabrication. Future research should focus on designing multifunctional materials that integrate autonomous healing, efficient charge transfer, high electrochemical activity, and long-term chemical stability. Advanced characterization techniques and operando investigations will be essential for understanding healing mechanisms under realistic operating conditions.

Overall, self-healing electrodes offer a promising pathway toward next-generation energy technologies with enhanced durability, improved resource efficiency, reduced material wastage, and extended service life. Their successful development could contribute significantly to the advancement of sustainable energy storage and conversion systems.