Aerospace equipment such as aircraft

satellites

and space stations are exposed to multi-field coupling environments including extreme temperature fluctuations

atomic oxygen erosion

ultraviolet radiation

and the penetration of local corrosive media (such as Cl–)

which can cause mechanical damage and chemical failure of surface protective coatings. Traditional repair methods

due to insufficient precision and poor adaptability to working conditions

are difficult to meet the protection requirements of complex equipment. Self-healing coatings

designed based on biomimetic repair mechanisms

trigger targeted repair responses in damaged areas

providing an innovative solution for extending the lifespan of equipment. This paper systematically introduces the technical characteristics of exogenous and intrinsic self-healing coatings

and focuses on discussing the engineering application breakthroughs of self-healing coatings in typical aerospace environments (such as thermal shock-resistant coatings for engine hot-end components and atomic oxygen-resistant coatings for space station modules) and special working conditions (such as aircraft body protection in high-humidity and high-salt environments at coastal airports). It reveals the cross-scale action mechanism of “damage perception-repair triggering-performance regeneration”

and points out that environment-adaptive repair

in-situ monitoring integration

and multi-mechanism synergy will be the core directions for future development in this field.