  The successful commercialization of flexible spintronic devices requires a
complete understanding of the impact of external strain on the structural,
electronic, and magnetic properties of a system. The impact of bending-induced
strain on flexible films is studied quite well. However, little is known about
the effect of other modes of flexibility, e.g., wrinkling, twisting, peeling,
and stretching on the functional properties of flexible films. In this context,
perpendicular magnetic anisotropic Co/Pt and Co/Pd thin films are prepared on
flexible Kapton substrates, and the impact of the peeling mode is studied in
detail. The peeling method generates numerous cracks, and buckling in the thin
film, along with localized blister formation imaged by scanning electron
microscopy. Further, the resistivity measurement confirms a significant
enhancement in sample resistance owing to the severe damage of the films. The
structural discontinuities strongly affect the magnetization reversal phenomena
as measured by the magneto-optic Kerr effect (MOKE)-based microscopy. The
bubble domains got converted to elongated-shaped domains due to several
hindrances to the wall motion after strain application. Further, the relaxation
measurements reveal that the thermal energy is insufficient to switch the
magnetization at a few areas due to their high pinning potential associated
with the damages. In contrast to bending-induced strain, here, all the
modifications in the functional properties are found to be irreversible in
nature.
