Copper plating of solid surfaces is widely used in industry as it imbues the coated parts with properties to improve suitability in broader-ranging application spaces, including high thermoelectrical mobility, corrosion resistance, and antimicrobial action. Coppers' high adhesion and malleability also allow for its coatings to remain in place on components that experience flexure. However, the high ductility and low shear strength of the metal, combined with the potential for adhesive material transfer (cladding) between contacts limits its application on contacting surfaces under tribological loads (with maximum Hertzian contact pressures > 1 GPa). The low shear and yield strengths of copper and its alloys mean that contact surfaces would typically undergo significant plastic deformation at relatively low contact pressures (sub-0.1 GPa), and be dominated by ploughing and dislocation mechanisms. This combined with the high adhesion of copper sliding on steel typically results in high levels of friction (coefficients of friction (CoF) as high as 0.7 ), further exacerbating the wear rates of the coating. The combination of the conditions above subjects the copper coating to accelerated frictional heat accumulation that promotes surface oxidation, grain refinement and recrystallization. This recrystallized surface structure improves wear resistance under further sliding, but often continues to operate at high friction, and the composition of the tribofilm (primarily of a mixed layer of Cu 2 O and Cu ) may result in a loss of the coatings' native properties. To mitigate this, avenues to improve the tribological properties of copper coatings are often explored.