Anatase (TiO 2 ) nanoparticles with an average diameter of 10 nm were synthesized by solvothermal method followed by surface modification with stearic acid (SA). As-prepared, the nanoparticles (SA-TiO 2 ) were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and thermogravimetry (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The tribological properties of SA-TiO 2 as an additive of liquid paraffin (LP) were evaluated by a fourball tester. The results show that LP with SA-TiO 2 exhibited good anti-wear and friction-reduction properties under the all applied loads. Comparing LP with LP-containing SA, LP-containing TiO 2 , and LP-containing SA-TiO 2 , the LP-containing SA-TiO 2 had the best load-carrying capacity. It was deduced that the boundary lubricating film was mainly composed of TiO 2 deposits and an adsorbing film of SA which contribute to the excellent lubricating effect of SA-TiO 2 in LP.