Recent advances in polymer engineering, such as new emergency materials and new coating technologies enable broader applications of polymeric coatings. Three types of functional coatings, namely tribological coatings, hydrophobic coatings and self-healing coatings have been widely investigated, and summarized in this article.

Tribology has emerged as a field that contributes to the development and implementation of materials that are sustainable, from an energy and environmental point of view. Sustainable materials from the point of view of green tribology are those materials that can diminish friction and wear of interacting surfaces, minimize heat dissipation, and thus lower pollution. Through the development of self-lubricating materials, wear can be minimized and contribute to a greener environment by increasing the life cycle of sliding materials (tribopairs), causing a positive impact in environmental degradation, by decreasing the waste and recyclability cycle (Sasaki, 2010; Anand et al., 2017). Environmentally friendly tribomaterials in the form of self-lubricating advanced polymeric coatings contribute to a greener environment by reduction or complete elimination of liquid lubricants at the sliding interfaces, thus reducing emissions, and in turn less pollution to the atmosphere.