SiO2, TiO2, and hydroxyapatite (HA) thin films with good biocompatibility were grown on Ti-6Al-4V (coded as TC4) substrate by sol-gel and dip-coating processes from specially formulated sols, followed by annealing at 500 degrees C The chemical states of some typical elements in the target films were detected by means of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Atomic force microscopy (AFM) and high-resolution scanning electron microscopy (SEM) are applied to characterize the original unworn films. The tribological properties of thin films sliding against an AISI52100 steel ball were evaluated on a reciprocating friction and wear tester. As the result, the target films composed of nano-particles ranging from 30 nm to 100 nm around were obtained. All the sol-gel ceramic films are superior in resisting wear compared with the TC4 substrate. Among all, HA film shows the best resistance while SiO2 film shows the worst wear resistance both under higher (3N) and lower load (1N). TiO2 shows good wear resistance under lower load (1N). SEM observation of the morphologies of worn surfaces indicates that the wear of TC4 is characteristic of abrasive wear. Differently, abrasion, plastic deformation and micro-fracture dominate the wear of ceramic films. The superior friction reduction and wear resistance of HA film is greatly due to the slight plastic deformation of the film. It is supposed that the deformation of the HA film is closely related to the special arrangement of the nano-particles and microstructure. HA film is recommended for clinical application from the point of wear resistance view. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.