Cold sintering as an enabler for self-healing ceramics: A perspective on sustainable, damage-tolerant materials

The cold sintering process (CSP) and self-healing ceramics represent two transformative strategies for addressing the long-standing challenges of energy-intensive processing and brittle failure in ceramics. CSP achieves densification at 120°C–300°C using transient solvents and pressure, enabling the integration of temperature-sensitive phases while reducing embodied energy. Self-healing ceramics restore structural and functional integrity through intrinsic oxidation or embedded healing agents, extending service lifetimes. This Perspective highlights the synergistic integration of these approaches. We propose CSP as both a fabrication route for hybrid healing architectures and a novel in-field repair technique for damaged ceramics. The opportunities include co-processing of ceramics with polymers, low-melting glasses, and microcapsules that are incompatible with conventional sintering. Critical challenges remain, including solvent-agent compatibility, activation energy mismatch, and balancing healing efficiency with mechanical strength. A forward-looking roadmap is outlined, emphasizing scalable CSP platforms, multiscale modeling, and lifecycle assessment. By linking processing science, materials chemistry, and sustainability metrics, we argue that CSP-enabled self-healing ceramics offer a pathway toward intelligent, damage-tolerant materials aligned with green manufacturing and circular economy goals.