電解電容器和薄膜電容器被稱為“自我修復"電解電容器的介電層中的缺陷通過陽極氧化修復，從電解質中消耗氧氣。 然而，薄膜電容器中的缺陷被燒毀并因此電隔離，但是每個燒損缺陷導致介電薄膜的小損失，即電容的小的減小。

　　Electrolytic capacitors and thin-film capacitors are called "self-healing": defects in the dielectric layer of electrolytic capacitors are repaired by anodic oxidation, which consumes oxygen from the electrolyte. However, the defects in the film capacitor are burned out and thus electrically isolated, but each burn defect leads to a small loss of the dielectric film, that is, a small reduction of the capacitance.

　　鑒于在規范限制內的操作條件，兩種技術都顯示出“優雅”的壽命終止行為，其主要特征是參數而非災難性故障。工作參數溫度，電壓和紋波電流決定了電解電容器的壽命。

　　Both technologies exhibit "elegant" end-of-life behavior due to operating conditions within specification limits, characterized by parameters rather than catastrophic failures. The working parameters, temperature, voltage and ripple current determine the life of electrolytic capacitor.

　　使用鋁電解電容器存儲給定量能量的具體成本明顯低于薄膜電容器大約三倍。 另一方面，薄膜電容器的優異載流能力在每安培成本方面優于電解電容器大約兩倍。

　　The specific cost of using aluminum electrolytic capacitor to store quantitative energy is about three times lower than that of thin film capacitor. On the other hand, the excellent current carrying capacity of the thin film capacitor is about twice that of the electrolytic capacitor in terms of the cost per ampere.

　　對于薄膜電容器，溫度，電壓和濕度限制了使用壽命。

　　For thin film capacitors, temperature, voltage and humidity limit their service life.

　　紋波電流對壽命的影響不會進入等式，因為薄膜電容器中特別低的ESR值導致的自發熱可忽略不計。

　　The effect of ripple current on the lifetime will not enter the equation because the self heating caused by the extremely low ESR value in the thin film capacitor is negligible.

　　ESR的典型壽命終止更改限制是兩種技術的初始ESR值的兩倍或三倍。

　　The typical end of life change limit for ESR is two or three times the initial ESR value for both technologies.

　　薄膜電容使用壽命結束時常見的電容損耗為3％，鋁電解電容為30％。

　　At the end of its service life, the common capacitance loss is 3% and that of aluminum electrolytic capacitor is 30%.