Plasma-assisted surface engineering allows to tailor thin film properties when the interaction of plasma, sputter and growth mechanisms is profoundly understood. This thesis offers an insight into the microstructure evolution of thin Mo films, with the result, that constant films properties such as electrical resistivity and residual stress can be achieved above a threshold film thickness. Furthermore, the evaluation of sputter-deposited film properties, which are constant over the lifetime of a rotatable Mo target, evidence the reliability and predictability of the deposition system as well as the coating process. Besides the suitable electrical conductivity, the good adhesion to glass predestines Mo thin films for the use in the display industry even though the low-temperature oxidation of Mo still represents a challenge. Alloying of Mo thin films with a small amount of Ta has been demonstrated within this thesis to considerably improve the oxidation behavior without deteriorating the required electrical conductivity. The industrial use of sputter deposition is promoted by the easy up-scaling of the process relying on reasonable deposition rates and the well adhering films, which are homogeneous in their chemical composition. These benefits pave the way for plasma-assisted surface engineering into all kinds of applications, such as those needed for textile and leather. Such new applications also demand new characterization methods. Thus, within this thesis the wear of sputter-deposited self-cleaning and antibacterial Ti-Ag-O films on leather was evaluated after exposure to tribological contact situations.