During service damage in terms of small cracks develops in thermal barrier coatings (TBC), composed of partially yttria stabilized zirconia (PYSZ), and applied to gas turbine components made of Ni-base superalloys coated with an aluminide diffusion or MCrAlY overlay coating. Growth and coalescence of these microcracks results in cracks that run parallel to the interface with the substrate leading to failure by delamination of the TBC. A mechanism is proposed to heal the micro-cracks in a TBC by introducing MoSi 2 particles. Upon high temperature expose in air, in the range of 1200 °C, MoSi 2 forms amorphous SiO 2 that can fill micro-cracks, thereby restoring the integrity of the TBC.