Nature lubricates with water, and usually with surface-tethered brushes. Thanks to the entropic penalty for the interpenetration of such brushes, surfaces are kept apart and sliding occurs in the fluid phase between the brushes. This leads to a remarkably low friction coefficient, even at very low velocities, and negligible adhesion (i.e. Amontons' Law holds). Biomimetic, water-laden, nanoscale brush structures can be created in the laboratory by means of multifunctional block copolymers, which adsorb physically or chemically onto surfaces, producing a high density of bound brush components. A highly effective precursor to such structures has been found in the molecule poly (L-lysine)-g-poly(ethylene glycol), although other, commercially available polymers have been found to display similar (though lesser) effects. The influence of polymer architecture and solvent quality on the tribological properties and surface force behavior of such systems will be presented and discussed.