To enhance the friction and wear properties of Al 6061 machined surface, a surface modification solution by high-speed wire electrical discharge machining (HS-WEDM) with emulsion-based SiC nanofluid dielectric was proposed. A composite coating was formed on the substrate surface, and its surface topography, chemical composition, surface roughness, microhardness, and friction behavior were studied using SEM, EDS, FT-IR, OM, and machined surface performance tests. The results show that the composite coating formed in situ on the surface of the Al 6061 is a double-layer structure consisting of a recast and a covering layer, which exhibit superior biological properties. The wear rate is reduced by 92% compared to the substrate, and the friction coefficient is reduced to less than 0.2 for both Al alloys machined in emulsion and emulsion-SiC nanofluids. In addition, the wear lifetime of samples machined in emulsion-SiC nanofluids is increased by a factor of 25 compared to those machined in emulsion, which is attributed to the superior wear resistance of the coating due to its superior toughness, strong bearing capacity, and self-lubricating properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]