Effectiveness of bubble structure in contact damage reduction of Au film

► Contact damage properties of smooth and bubble-structured Au films were investigated. ► Smooth and bubble-structured Au films were deposited on Si by magnetron sputtering. ► Bubble-structured Au film was significantly more wear resistant than the smooth film. ► Friction coefficients of both films were similar and ranged between 0.26 and 0.53. ► Bubble-structure was beneficial for frictional energy dissipation and damping.