The tin indiumoxide (ITO) films were deposited onto the polyethylene terephthalate (PET) surface that has been bombarded by an O ion beam. The variation of the O bombardment time resulted in the production of ITO/PET complex with different properties. Characterization by four-point probe measurement after the bending fatigue test showed that the adhesion property of the ITO/PET complex could be improved by the increase of O bombardment time while little change of electrical resistivity was observed. Scanning electron microscopy results showed that after the bending fatigue test, the nano scale seams and micro scale trenches appeared at the surface of the ITO/PET complex. The former was only the cracks of ITO film, which has little influence on the continuity and electrical resistivity of ITO film. On the contrary, the micro scale trenches were caused by the peeling off of ITO chips at the cracks, which mainly influenced the continuity and electrical resistivity of ITO film. With the increase of O bombardment time, the number and length of the micro scale trenches decreased. X-ray photoelectron spectrometry characterization showed that with the increase of O bombardment time, parts of the methylene C bonds were transformed into C=O bonds, which could be broken to form C-O-In(Sn) bonds at the initial stage of ITO film growth. By these C-O-In(Sn) crosslink bonds, the ITO film could adhere well onto the PET and the ITO/PET complex display better anti-bending fatigue property. Finally, in the context of the application of the ITO/PET complex as a flexible electrode substrate, the present work reveals a simple way to crosslink them, as well as the physicochemical mechanism happening at the interface of complex. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.