Debonding of a Metal Coating from a Track-Etched Membrane

The tensile behavior of a metal nanocoating on a track-etched membrane based on a polyethylene terephthalate film was investigated. Near cylindrical pores in the substrate, conical debondings of the coating were detected for the first time. Nanopores initiate multiple cracking of the coating, and short microcracks mutually inhibit their growth. As a consequence, long cracks crossing the entire coating do not form, and the coating remains continuous and electrically conductive at high strains.