It has been shown that the surface properties of titanium and its alloys, in particular the resistance to 'galling' and wear, can be enhanced by surface treatment/coating based on chemical/physical vapour deposition or ion implantation processes. Surface alteration of Ti arising from two processing routes, IonSlip(TM) and diamond-like carbon deposition, have been characterized by Raman and surface-specific electron spectroscopies, and then correlated with surface-mechanical properties.