Book excerpt: TRIBOLOGY AND CHARACTERIZATION OF SURFACE COATINGS The book provides updated information on the friction and wear behavior of coatings used in various industrial applications. Surface modification is a cost-effective process of increasing the life of components so that the whole device need not be changed if the surface is worn out. The tribological behavior of biological implants is currently an active topic and a thorough discussion is one of the book’s features. Tribology and Characterization of Surface Coatings explores key issues which are important in the research and development of surface coatings by providing updated information on friction and wear behavior of coatings used in different industrial applications. It covers the various coating deposition techniques, tribological response of nanocomposite coatings, multilayer hardfacing, and wear testing methods for coatings at nanoscale. The use of nanostructures may alter the tribological, characterization, and mechanical properties of the materials. Thermal spraying is the most widely used technique in industry for the deposition of coatings and their tribological properties need to be determined. This book also includes the recent trends in biotribology and the materials used in implants to counter the abrasive wear. Audience The book will serve as a reference to researchers, scientists, academicians, industrial engineers, and students who work in the fields of materials/polymer science and mechanical engineering. Apart from their applications to aerospace and electronics industries, the coatings are also used in the field of biomedical engineering.