Healing Efficiency Research Articles

Characterization and role analysis of bacteria types in self-healing behaviour of cemented paste backfill

A common approach to enhance the self-healing behaviour of cracked backfill is through the addition of carriers, but this practice can potentially disrupt the overall performance of the backfill and pose environmental concerns. Overcoming the limitations of traditional carrier-based methods to improve self-healing efficiency has been a challenging task. This study proposed an environmentally friendly approach to enhance the healing ratio of cracked backfill without the need for additional carriers. Specifically, a mixture of aerobic and anaerobic bacteria was pre-embedded in polypropylene-fiber reinforced backfill. The self-healing capacity of the cracked backfill was systematically evaluated in terms of crack width and area healing efficiency, strength recovery ratio, permeability coefficient, and water absorption. The results showed that the incorporation of mixed bacteria in the backfill resulted in an area healing ratio of 44.71% and a strength recovery ratio of 30.88%. The mixed bacteria had a higher biomineralization ratio compared to the noted single strain, suggesting its enhanced capacity in self-healing. Also, the mixed bacteria exhibited higher sustainability in self-healing. These findings provide compelling evidence that the self-healing ratio of cracked backfill can be improved through a benign approach that only involves pre-embedding mixed bacteria without the use of additional carriers.

An Investigation of the Healing Efficiency of Epoxy Vitrimer Composites Based on Zn2+ Catalyst.

The need to recycle carbon-fibre-reinforced composite polymers (CFRP) has grown significantly to reduce the environmental impact generated by their production. To meet this need, thermoreversible epoxy matrices have been developed in recent years. This study investigates the performance of an epoxy vitrimer made by introducing a metal catalyst (Zn2+) and its carbon fibre composites, focusing on the healing capability of the system. The dynamic crosslinking networks endow vitrimers with interesting rheological behaviour; the capability of the formulated resin (AV-5) has been assessed by creep tests. The analysis showed increased molecular mobility above a topology freezing temperature (Tv). However, the reinforcement phase inhibits the flow capability, reducing the flow. The fracture behaviour of CFRP made with the vitrimeric resin has been investigated by Mode I and Mode II tests and compared with the conventional system. The repairability of the vitrimeric CFRP has been investigated by attempting to recover the delaminated samples, which yielded unsatisfactory results. Moreover, the healing efficiency of the modified epoxy composites has been assessed using the vitrimer as an adhesive layer. The joints were able to recover about 84% of the lap shear strength of the pristine system.

High-Performance Branched Polymer Elastomer Based on a Topological Network Structure and Dynamic Bonding.

High performance has always been the research focus of elastomers. However, there are inherent conflicts among properties of elastomers, such as strength and toughness, strength and damping performance, strength and self-healing ability, etc. Herein, first, we synthesized a unique structure of the dangling chain containing proton donors and receptors. Then, we design and fabricate a kind of high-performance elastomer with a gradient distribution of a dangling chain and a dynamic bond structure. The dangling chains of different lengths intertwine with each other and self-assemble to form a "dense accumulation" structure driven by hydrogen bonds, and the elastomer exhibits special micro/nano scale aggregated states and microphase separation. The "dense accumulation" structure plays a vital role in the increase of mechanical properties. Meanwhile, under the joint action of a dangling chain and a dynamic bond, the damping performance and self-healing performance of the elastomer are greatly enhanced. High strength (27.5 MPa), toughness (121.9 MJ·m-3), 94.8% healing efficiency and outstanding damping performance (tan δ ≥ 0.4, high damping temperature range up to 144 °C) are simultaneously achieved beyond the current state-of-the-art. This topoarchitected polymer with a gradient distribution of dangling chains successfully solves the defects of conventional branched polymers in deteriorating their mechanical properties. This material design provides a new strategy for the development of high-performance structural and functional integrated elastomers.

In-situ expansion compensation and repetitive self-healing of concrete using difunctional artificial aggregates

A difunctional artificial aggregate (DAA) was developed to address autogenous shrinkage caused by self-desiccation of concrete during early hydration in this study. Through in-situ combination with a tri-component healing agent, comprising ammonium acetate CH3CCONH4, ammonium bicarbonate NH4HCO3, and ammonium carbamate NH2COONH4, repetitive self-healing for cracks can be achieved. The expansion product can provide additional free calcium to enhance the self-healing process. Compensatory self-healing is triggered by exposing the internal tri-component to over-expansion, where both expansion compensation and repetitive self-healing are independent but interact with each other. At a 2% DAA dosage, appropriate compensation for hydration expansion was achieved while maintaining specimen volume integrity. The compensatory self-healing of the 4% group was effective for 60 days, while the 8% group exhibited the lowest self-desiccation effect and densest pore structure. In the twice self-healing experiment involving the 0% and 2% groups, various measurements were taken to evaluate healing efficiency, including sound velocity, compressive strength, and quantitative characterisation of calcium carbonate (CaCO3). Results showed a higher healing rate for the second self-healing compared to the first (167.13%, 37.76%, and 12.4% compared to 146.05%, 23.36%, and 7.2%, respectively). This confirmed that the self-healing efficiency increased with the regeneration of NH4HCO3, which increased with the number of self-healings.

Microwave Heating Healing of Asphalt Mixture with Coal Gangue Powder and Basalt Aggregate

Microwave heating is an effective method to achieve autonomic crack healing in asphalt mixtures, and the use of microwave-absorbing materials can largely improve this healing efficiency. As a solid waste, coal gangue contains metal oxides, which shows the possibility of microwave heating. In order to further promote the application of coal gangue in the microwave healing of asphalt mixtures, this study looks into the synergistic effect of basalt and coal gangue powder (CGP) on the microwave heating self-healing of an asphalt mixture. The mechanical performance, water stability, low-temperature crack resistance and microwave healing efficiency of the asphalt mixture were investigated using the immersion Marshall test, standard Marshall test, Cantabro test and semi-circular bending (SCB), and healing tests, respectively. The results indicated that the addition of CGP in asphalt mixture can improve the microwave heating speed, which also showed a significant advantage in water stability and fracture energy recovery. The research results will further promote the utilization rate of coal gangue.

Ultrastretchable Self-Healing Paampsa/PANI/PA Polymer Complex as a Piezoresistive Sensor

Wearable sensors, stretchable electronics, and many soft robotics materials must have a sufficiently high balance of conductivity, stretchability, and robustness. Intrinsically conductive polymers offer a critical step toward improving wearable sensor materials due to their tunable conductivity, soft/compliant nature, and ability to complex with other synergistic molecules (i.e., polyacids, small molecule dopants). This work demonstrates a new regenerative polymer complex composed of poly(2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propanesulfonic acid), polyaniline, and phytic acid as a skin-like electronic material. It exhibits ultrahigh stretchability (1935%), repeatable autonomous self-healing ability (repeating healing efficiency >98%), quadratic response to strain (R2 > 0.9998), and linear response to flexion bending (R2 > 0.9994), outperforming current reported wearable strain sensors. While nanofillers typically increase conductivity at the expense of mechanical properties, here we show an increase in both conductivity and mechanical properties when silver nanowires are added, forming a polymer nanocomposite with high electronic sensitivity, unprecedented mechanical properties (a maximum strain of 4693% at ambient humidity; ~52 RH%), and repeatable, autonomous self-healing efficiencies of greater than 98%.

Mode II Fatigue Delamination Growth and Healing of Bis-Maleimide Modified CFRPs by Using the Melt Electro-Writing Process Technique

In the current study, the interlaminar fracture toughness behavior of high-performance carbon fiber-reinforced plastics (CFRPs) modified with Bis-maleimide (BMI) resin was investigated under Mode II quasi-static and fatigue remote loading conditions. Specifically, CFRPs were locally integrated with BMI resin, either nano-modified with graphene nano-platelets (GNPs) or unmodified, using the melt electro-writing process (MEP) technique. Following the modification, two types of CFRPs were manufactured: (a) CFRPs with pure BMI resin and (b) CFRPs with GNP-modified resin. Quasi-static tests demonstrated that the interlaminar fracture toughness properties of both modified CFRPs were significantly improved compared to the unmodified/reference CFRPs. Conversely, fatigue tests were conducted under displacement control, with crack length measurement performed using a traveling microscope. Delamination length and load quantities were measured at specific cycle intervals. The results indicated that both modified CFRPs exhibited enhanced resistance to delamination under Mode II fatigue loading, with earlier crack arrest, compared against the reference CFRPs. Additionally, the CFRPs displayed low healing efficiency (H.E.) after the healing cycle was activated. Overall, this approach shows promise in improving the delamination resistance of CFRPs under Mode II.

Synthesis of composite corn starch/hydroxyapatite nanoparticle biomembranes and their effect on mineralization by osteoblasts

AbstractBone defects and injuries are challenging issues in regenerative medicine. Guided bone regeneration (GBR) techniques use biomaterials as scaffolds to support the healing of damaged bone tissue. In this context, there is growing interest in developing new biomaterials with bioabsorbable and bioactive properties to increase GBR effectiveness. In this study, composite corn starch/hydroxyapatite nanoparticle (HAp) biomembranes were synthesized to achieve bioresorbable and bioactive properties compatible with applications in GBR. Starch is a renewable source and presents suitable rheological properties for membrane preparation; in turn, HAp is well known for its osteogenic properties. The biomembranes were prepared by solvent casting (5 wt% aqueous corn starch suspension containing different amounts of HAp (i.e., 0, 2, 5, and 10% of the corn starch weight), to give the membranes HAp_0%, HAp_2%, HAp_5%, and HAp_10%, respectively). The physicochemical and biological properties of the biomembranes were assessed. The concentrations of up to 10% of HAp were homogeneously dispersed in the composite biomembranes. HAp addition increased the biodegradability and the ability of the biomembranes to release Ca2+. The biomembranes containing HAp were more mechanically resistant and less flexible and were not toxic to osteoblasts. Moreover, compared to pure corn starch biomembranes, osteoblasts adhered better to the composite biomembranes. The higher the HAp content, the greater the mineralization promoted by osteoblasts on the composite biomembranes. HAp addition also resulted in composite biomembranes with better fracture healing efficiency in vitro. Therefore, composite corn starch/HAp biomembranes have excellent characteristics, including biodegradability, bioactivity, mechanical strength, and biocompatibility, for the development of new materials aimed at GBR.

Repeatable self-healing with carbon sequestration function using ammonium bicarbonate

Repeatable self-healing at the same cracking site is one of the essential issues in self-healing concrete. The inorganic admixture ammonium bicarbonate (NH4HCO3) was proposed as the primary healing agent in this study to achieve repeatable self-healing. Among ammonium carbamate (NH2COONH4), NH4HCO3, ammonium acetate (CH3COONH4) and calcium hydroxide (Ca(OH)2), the molar ratio of precipitation reaction and the effect of calcium extraction were determined. Whether before or after the self-healing, ammonia water (NH3·H2O) invariably exists in the products and will be carbonised to regenerate NH4HCO3, which was verified by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR). The proposed self-healing solution achieves a two-in-one strategy for calcium extraction and carbon sequestration in response to the global strategy for carbon neutrality. Self-healing experiments have been performed. The results suggested that the healing efficiency of the crack area of the tri-component (NH2COONH4, NH4HCO3 and CH3COONH4) is up to five times higher than that of the control group. Three cycles of self-healing in the simulated system and actual crack environment concluded that the regeneration potential of NH4HCO3 could be enhanced after the completion of more cyclic self-healing processes due to the increasing amount of NH3·H2O at the same cracking site.

Preparation of self-healing EPDM/ionomer thermoplastic vulcanizates with ionic network for automotive application: Effects of maleic anhydride grafted EPDM as compatibilizer

This work evaluates the effects of maleic anhydride grafted ethylene-propylene-diene rubber (EPDM-g-MAH) on the processing characteristics, compatibility and mechanical properties of EPDM/Ionomer blends. Dynamic vulcanization process was used to fabricate thermoplastic vulcanizates (TPVs) of different compositions using EPDM polymers and high acid (HA60D) or mid acid (MA60D) containing thermoplastic ionomers. The addition of EPDM-g-MAH in EPDM/Ionomer blends had a predominant role as a compatibilizing agent, which affected the processability and properties of the final material. The tensile properties showed significant improvement with increasing the content of compatibilizer in the vulcanizates. The microscopical analysis of fracture surfaces further supported the heterogeneous nature of the blends and compatibility of the polymer phases. The concept was based on a simple ionic crosslinking reaction between carboxyl groups present in the ionomer and zinc oxide (ZnO), where the formation of reversible Zn2+ covalent crosslinks exhibits the self-healing behavior. The combination of blending and ionic cross-linking improved not only mechanical properties but also improved self-healing performance. The self-healing nature of the TPVs has been identified by scratch resistance test, where the ternary blends (EPDM/Ionomer/EPDM-g-MAH) showed 100% healing efficiency of the scratch surface at 89°C for 24 h.

Assessment of impact resistance recovery in Ultra High-Performance Concrete through stimulated autogenous self-healing in various healing environments

Ultra High-Performance Concrete (UHPC) is widely acknowledged for its remarkable mechanical properties, owing to its compact microstructure. The response of UHPC to impact forces plays a vital role in ensuring the safety and longevity of structures, specifically in protective buildings, high-performance pavements and offshore concrete structures. In this context, this paper reports on an experimental investigation aimed at assessing the effects of stimulated autogenous self-healing of UHPC on the recovery of its performance under impact loadings. Drop weight tests were performed on UHPC slabs, with a 10 kg heavy impactor dropped from the height of 1 m on the centre of the specimens. Specimens were pre-cracked by repeated impacts up to 40% of their predetermined capacity. Pre-cracked specimens were exposed to different healing conditions, water submersion, 95% ± 5% RH, and wet/dry cycling (12/12 h) either in water or in a NaCl solution. Self-healing was evaluated through rebound height, elastic stiffness recovery, natural frequency, and laser displacement measurements. High-speed cameras and Digital Image Correlation were used to capture rebound height and crack formation. Performance was assessed at time 0, pre-damaging, 1, 2, and 4 months. After the healing period, all specimens were tested to failure. Specimens exhibited an increasing healing efficiency when moving from 95% ± 5% RH, over wet/dry cycling, to submerged conditions. Specimens healed continuously under submerged conditions exhibited a complete closure of surface cracks (50–150 μm) and an 80% recovery in natural frequency. Furthermore, they showed a more than 10% increase in stiffness and energy dissipation capacity after four months of healing.

PLA-HPG based coating enhanced anti-biofilm and wound healing of Shikonin in MRSA-infected burn wound.

Burn wounds are susceptible to bacterial infections, including Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), which typically form biofilms and exhibit drug resistance. They also have specific feature of abundant exudate, necessitating frequent drug administration. Shikonin (SKN) has been reported to reverse MRSA drug resistance and possesses anti-biofilm and wound healing properties, however, it suffers from drawbacks of low solubility and instability. In this study, we developed PLA-HPG based bioadhesive nanoparticles SKN/BNP, which demonstrated a drug loading capacity of about 3.6%, and exhibited sustained-release behavior of SKN. The aldehyde groups present on the surface of BNP improved the local adhesion of SKN/BNP both in vitro and in vivo, thereby reducing the frequency of drug dosing in exudate-rich burn wounds. BNP alone enhanced proliferation and migration of the fibroblast, while SKN/BNP promoted fibroblast proliferation and migration as well as angiogenesis. Due to its bioadhesive property, BNP directly interacted with biofilm and enhanced the efficacy of SKN against MRSA biofilm in vitro. In a mouse model of MRSA-infected burn wounds, SKN/BNP demonstrated improved anti-biofilm and wound healing efficiency. Overall, our findings suggest that SKN/BNP holds great promise as a novel and effective treatment option for clinical applications in MRSA-infected burn wounds.

Influences of induced heating-healing on fracture properties and life extension of asphalt mixtures: Experimental investigations

In recent years, researchers have concentrated on identifying the effectiveness of induced healing techniques and increasing the healing capacity of asphalt materials. However, the impact of the induced healing method on extending pavement life or the behavior of the pavement in terms of cracking progression has not been evaluated. The main objective of this study is to develop a methodology to evaluate the impact of induced healing on fracture characteristics and life extension of asphalt mixtures. Semi-circular bending (SCB) tests were conducted at both 25 °C and −20 °C. From the SCB test results, fracture-related parameters such as peak load, critical stress intensity factor, strain energy, J-integral, fracture energy, and stiffness were determined. The SCB tests were carried out under cyclic cracking-healing scenarios to assess the effectiveness of the healing process. To quantify the healing efficiency, fracture-related parameters and corresponding healing indices (HI) were measured at each damage cycle. Additionally, service life extensions were calculated based on the analysis of fatigue and thermal cracking resistance. Finally, the HI obtained through other fracture-related parameters were used as a response factor to evaluate the statistical significance of each fracture parameter. The results show that for unaged asphalt mixtures, service life extensions for fatigue and thermal cracking resistance were 3.61 and 3.46 times the initial pavement life, respectively. In contrast, for specimens that experienced 20 years of aging after construction, the corresponding values were 1.50 and 2.23. This suggests that while increasing levels of aging reduce the effectiveness of the induced healing process, the pavement life can still be extended by using the induced healing method. Furthermore, a significant variation was observed in the HI obtained from different fracture-related parameters for asphalt mixtures at different aging levels. This suggests that using the ultimate strength of specimens to determine HI may present conservative results for aged asphalt mixtures since it does not explain the cracking features of the asphalt mixture at intermediate temperatures. The proposed fracture-based method can represent the interactions of cracking and time-dependent behaviors of materials, allowing for the combined effects of the healing process on fatigue and thermal fatigue life extensions to be addressed.

A Janus supramolecular hydrogel prepared by one-pot method for wound dressing

Despite the adhesive hydrogels have gained progress and popularity, it is still an enormous challenge to develop a smart adhesion hydrogel for clinical medicine, which is an asymmetric adhesion hydrogel with on-demand detachment. Motivated by the thermal phase transition mechanism of gelatin, we have synthesized a Janus supramolecular hydrogel dressing with skin temperature-triggered adhesion by a simple one-pot process. This hydrogel has asymmetric and controllable adhesion, which not only can become the external objects barrier but also can achieve repeated adhesion and on-demand detachment triggered by temperature in tens of seconds. This hydrogel presents great mechanical performance (compressive strain of 65 %, 1.38 MPa) owing to the presence of supramolecular interactions in the hydrogel. Additionally, this hydrogel exhibits excellent antibacterial activity and biocompatibility. The synergistic effect of modified gelatin and ionic liquid greatly facilitates wound healing of full-thickness skin with high wound healing efficiency (98.45 %). Therefore, thanks to all these advantages, the Janus supramolecular hydrogel can be applied for wound management and treatment, which has huge potential in healing skin wounds.

All-in-one electrochromic gel consist of benzylboronic acid viologen with superior long-term stability and self-healing property

The viologen-based gel is typical kind of electrochromic materials, there are currently two main limited problems for application in electrochromic devices (ECD). The electrochromic layer may be damaged due to aging, film stress, etc., or viologen dimerization occurs after repeated service cycles, which have a significant impact on the reliability of ECD. To address these limitations, we synthesized benzyl boronic acid viologen (BBV) and mixed it with an electrolyte containing polyvinyl alcohol (PVA). The boronic acid group in BBV can form boronic ester linkages with the hydroxyl group in PVA, resulting in a self-healing all-in-one electrochromic gel. The immobilized viologen with boronic ester linkages would slow down its diffusion rate and effectively mitigate its poor cycling stability caused by dimerization. Meanwhile, the reversibility of the dynamically cross-linked boronic ester linkages leads to self-healing ability of the electrochromic gel. The all-in-one electrochromic gel demonstrated excellent mechanical properties, with a tensile strength of 33 kPa, and significant self-healing performance within 30 min at room temperature, with a healing efficiency of 96.57%. The ECD prepared using this gel exhibited excellent properties, with a response time of 3.9 s for coloring and 7.4 s for bleaching at a driving voltage of 0 to 1.3 V, as well as good optical contrast (71.33%) and high cycling stability (10,000 cycles/82.66%).

Structural integrity and healing efficiency study of micro-capsule based composite materials via 1H NMR relaxometry

In this work we present a novel approach utilizing nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) relaxometry to assess the structural stability of microcapsules employed as self-healing agents in advanced aerospace composites both in ambient and harsh environmental conditions. We successfully correlate the amount of the encapsulated self-healing agent with the signal intensity and confirm non-destructively the quantity of the encapsulated self-healing agent mass for the first time in the literature using 1H NMR spin–spin relaxation techniques on urea–formaldehyde (UF) microcapsules of different diameters containing an epoxy healing agent. The amount of self-healing agent is shown to increase by reducing the capsule diameter; however, the reduced shell mass renders the capsules more fragile and prone to failure. Most notably, via NMR experiments conducted during thermal cycling simulating flight conditions, we demonstrate that the microcapsule integrity under thermal fatigue varies according to their size. Especially we experimentally verify that the microcapsules with the most sensitive shells are the 147 nm and 133 nm diameter microcapsules, which are the most commonly used in self-healing systems. Finally, we were able to retrieve the same results using a portable NMR spectrometer developed in-house for in situ microcapsule testing, thus demonstrating the potential of NMR relaxometry as a powerful non-destructive evaluation tool for the microcapsule production line.

Life cycle assessment applied to a self-healing elastomer filled with ground tire rubber

In this study, we present the first life cycle assessment (LCA) of a self-healing styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR) used in the production of marine fenders. Results show that a rubber with healing capabilities is not environmentally attractive if it cannot last for the same lifetime as a conventional product due to its lower mechanical performance and higher energy consumption. To overcome these constraints, we added a sustainable filler, ground tire rubber, which improved the mechanical properties of the self-healing SBR (x6 increase in tensile strength). Although this addition involved additional sub-processes, the additional environmental impacts were outweighed by the benefits achieved through improved material performance (28% decrease in global warming potential - GWP and 26% in primary energy demand - PED). This study used primary data on experimental healing efficiencies and healing cycles rather than conservative assumptions, which provides a more representative and trustworthy LCA of self-healing rubbers. Our findings have significant implications for the rubber industry, as self-healing rubbers offer a promising avenue for reducing the environmental impact of synthetic materials.

Repeated healing of low velocity impact induced damage in orthogrid-stiffened sandwich panel

Herein, we present a new sandwich panel composed of a carbon fiber grid-stiffened shape memory vitrimer (SMV) core. The sandwich panels were fabricated via a pin-guided dry-weaving technology, and their impact responses were evaluated via low-velocity impact testing. The main failure mode observed after the first round of impact was the transverse cracking of the SMV matrix in the sandwich core. The healing efficiency according to the crack initiation energy (CIE) was found to be 76.5% after the first healing cycle. Even after the second healing cycle, the healing efficiency was greater than 72%. From the low-velocity impact tests, reinforcing the pure SMV core with a grid-skeleton enhanced the impact resistance significantly, that is, the crack initiation energy and peak load were increased by 64.0% and 169.0%, respectively. The results also show that smaller bay area leads to higher impact resistance. With the repeated crack healing, increased impact tolerance, and shape memory effect, it is expected that the sandwich panels will have a good possibility for usage in aerospace and automotive applications.

Effective Healing of Staphylococcus aureus-Infected Wounds in Pig Cathelicidin Protegrin-1-Overexpressing Transgenic Mice.

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are promising alternatives to existing treatments for multidrug-resistant bacteria-infected wounds. Therefore, the effect of protegrin-1 (PG1), a potent porcine AMP with broad-spectrum activity, on wound healing was evaluated. PG1-overexpressing transgenic mice were used as an in vivo model to evaluate its healing efficiency against Staphylococcus aureus-infected (106 colony forming units) wounds. We analyzed the wounds under four specific conditions in the presence or absence of antibiotic treatment. We observed the resolution of bacterial infection and formation of neo-epithelium in S. aureus-infected wounds of the mice, even without antibiotic treatment, whereas all wild-type mice with bacterial infection died within 8 to 10 days due to uncontrolled bacterial proliferation. Interestingly, the wound area on day 7 was smaller (p < 0.01) in PG1 transgenic mice than that in the other groups, including antibiotic-treated mice, suggesting that PG1 exerts biological effects other than bactericidal effect. Additionally, we observed that the treatment of primary epidermal keratinocytes with recombinant PG1 enhanced cell migration in in vitro scratch and cell migration assays. This study contributes to the understanding of broad-spectrum endogenous cathelicidins with potent antimicrobial activities, such as PG1, on wound healing. Furthermore, our findings suggest that PG1 is a potent therapeutic candidate for wound healing.

Flexible thermoelectric composite materials with self-healing ability for harvesting low-grade thermal energy

Directly converting waste heat from environment or human body into electricity without any moving parts is crucial in low-grade waste heat harvesting and wearable electronic applications. In this work, a sunlight self-healing thermoelectric generator that harvests energy from the human body is reported. Self-healing polyurethane gives the thermoelectric generators self-healing capacity, and the p/n-type thermoelectric component is composed of an organic-inorganic composite including carbon nanotubes and semiconductor nanoparticles. The ternary thermoelectric composite film exhibits a largely improved thermoelectric performance compared to the single component due to the energy-level configuration and interfacial energy filtering effect, and the power factor of self-healing p-type composite film is up to 355.6 ± 4.8 μW/(m·K2). Moreover, the healing efficiencies of the thermoelectric performance are both higher than 85% for the self-healing p-type and n-type composite films. The film-shaped thermoelectric generator, which is made up of 5 pairs of p/n-type counterparts, finally produces a voltage of 19.1 mV and power of 0.6 μW at a temperature difference of 60 K. Furthermore, a fibrous thermoelectric generator is also created and it produces a 2.1 mV open-circuit voltage and 1.39 nW power at a temperature difference between a human palm and the ambient environment.