The self-rewetting fluid is the liquid which have an anomalous surface tension increasing with temperature when the temperature exceeds a certain value. This particular property can cause the subcooled liquid to be drawn towards the heated surface if a dry patch appears, thus making it possible for the self-rewetting fluids to become promising working fluids. This paper presents an overview of the recent developments of the research on boiling heat transfer using self-rewetting fluids. Thermophysical properties, pool and flow boiling experiments and heat pipe applications of self-rewetting fluids have been reported in this paper. It can be found that the use of self-rewetting fluids in a wide range of applications appears promising. However, further detailed and valuable theoretical and numerical investigations are necessary for us to better understand the boiling phenomenon of self-rewetting fluids. (C) 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.