The influence of pre-stressing an aluminum substrate on pore ordering of a porous anodic alumina (PAA) membrane has been investigated. Samples of pure aluminum were constrained and unconstrained stressed until plastic deformation before potentiostatic anodization. Characterizations of the resulting PAA membranes were performed during and at the end of the electrochemical process. Results suggest that as the first alumina layer detaches from the substrate due to the increased electrochemical reactivity on a pre-stressed surface, a second layer grows on the pattern of the previous with an increase in pore ordering. Combining a two-step anodization into a single process can be beneficial in porous alumina membrane fabrication. (C) 2012 The Electrochemical Society. [DOI: 10.1149/2.055301jes] All rights reserved.