Composite powders comprising polymers and inorganic particles for thermal sprayed coatings

An article having a thermal sprayed coating, the coating being obtained by:

• (a) providing a plurality of particles, each of the particles comprising a plastic core and a particulate cladding material selected from the group consisting of ceramics and metals having a higher melting point than the plastic core, wherein the particulate cladding material is adhered to the plastic core and wherein the particulate cladding material forms an incomplete thermally protective cladding layer around the plastic core so that when heated above the melting point of the plastic core enough heat is transferred to the plastic core to cause it to melt but not to vaporize while the higher melting point particulate cladding material remains unmelted;
• and
• (b) thermally spraying said plurality of particles onto a surface of a substrate under thermal spray conditions that melt the plastic core but not the higher melting point clad material so as to produce a coating whereby said unmelted clad material is embedded in the melted plastic core applied to said article.

A process for producing a clad composition comprising:

• dry mixing at least two different particles wherein one of said particles has a higher melting point than the other and wherein at least one of said particles is added in an amount less than the other so as to assure incomplete cladding of one particle to the other.

A particle for depositing a coating on a substrate surface by a low temperature thermal spray process, the particle comprising:

• an inorganic core having a particle size of at least about 40 mesh (420 μm);
• and
• a plastic particulate cladding material having a particle size of less than about 100 mesh (149 μm) wherein said plastic particulate cladding material is adhered to said inorganic core to form a particle having a continuous or non-continuous plastic layer clad to said inorganic core whereby upon heating, enough heat is transferred to the plastic layer so as to cause it to melt but not vaporize and said inorganic core having a higher melting point does not melt.