A polymer-brush-based, surface-modification strategy for friction and wear reduction in hard contact under boundary-lubrication conditions is proposed, specifically for a non-aqueous environment. Surface-initiated atom-transfer radical polymerization was employed for the synthesis of three different oil-compatible, hydrophobic polymer brushes based on alkyl methacrylates. This study presents polymerization kinetics, chemical characterization by means of Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and surface morphologies observed in atomic force microscopy. The lubrication properties of the anchored polymers were evaluated macroscopically by means of ball-on-disk methods and on the nanonewton scale by lateral force microscopy and showed significant reduction in friction up to contact pressures as high as 460MPa. The frictional response of surface-grafted polymers is shown to depend strongly on the compatibility of the polymer with the chosen lubricating flui
