Nucleation and development of regular microrelief under deformation of polymer with metallic coating

Direct microscopic observations showed that, under deformation of rubbery p olymers with a thin rigid coating, a regular microrelief develops via the f ormation of nucleation structures at the surface microinhomogeneities, whic h are characteristic of real systems. The number of nucleation structures w as shown to depend on the stress level of the polymer deformation and on th e thickness of the deposited metallic coating. The process of the initiatio n of the nucleation structures was assumed to be controlled by the Griffith criterion.