Friction is widespread in almost every field in the oil and gas industry, and it is accompanied by huge energy losses and potential safety hazards. To deal with a series of questions in this regard, biomimetic surfaces have been developed over the past decades to significantly reduce economic losses. Presently, biomimetic surface engineering on different scales has been successfully introduced into related fields of the oil and gas industry, such as drill bits and the inner surfaces of pipes. In this review, we focused on the most recent and promising efforts reported toward the application of a biomimetic surface in oil and gas fields, indicating the necessity and importance of establishing this disciplinary study. Regarding the oil and gas industry, we mainly analyzed and summarized some important research results into the following three aspects: (i) applications in reducing the wear of exploration production equipment and its components, (ii) separation and drag release technologies in oil/gas storage and transportation, and (iii) functional coatings used in oil and gas development in oceans and polar regions. Finally, based on an in-depth analysis of the development of biomimetic surface engineering in the fields of oil and gas, some conclusions and perspectives are also discussed. It is expected that biomimetic surface engineering can be used in oil and gas fields more widely and systematically, providing important contributions to green development in the near future.

As green tribology is a new field of tribology still in its infancy, understanding its fundamentals is essential for its further development. In this article, a brief historical retrospective on the emergence of green tribology is introduced first, and then the definition, objectives, and disciplinary features of green tribology are clarified. In particular, the technological connotations of green tribology are expounded comprehensively. Also, the developing directions of this new area are envisaged. These findings may contribute to laying the foundation of further advancement in green tribology.