Non-stick coating having improved abrasion resistance, hardness and corrosion on a substrate

1. A substrate coated with a multi-layer non-stick coating which resists abrasion force, said coating comprising:

(a) a pre-primer base coat layer, substantially free of fluoropolymer, having a dry film thickness of at least 10 micrometers comprising a heat resistant non-fluoropolymer polymer binder composition and inorganic filler particles, wherein the weight ratio of inorganic filler particles to polymer binder solids is greater than 1.0, and wherein at least 10 weight % of said inorganic filler particles are large ceramic particles having an average particle size of at least 14 micrometers, and greater than 50% of the inorganic filler particles are titanium dioxide having an average particle size of from 0.1 to 2.0 micrometers;

(b) at least two further coating layers, wherein the further coating layers are free of inorganic filler particles having an aspect ratio of greater than 3.0, and wherein at least two of said further coating layers comprise one or more fluoropolymer; and

wherein a portion of the large ceramic particles extend from the pre-primer base coat layer at least into the next adjacent layer and further wherein substantially free of fluoropolymer means that the composition employed forms a dry base coat that contains less than 5 weight % of total solids of fluoropolymer.

2. The coated substrate of claim 1 wherein at least 60% of the inorganic filler particles in the base coat are titanium dioxide.

3. The coated substrate of claim 1 wherein said base coat has a dry film thickness in the range of about 10 to about 40 micrometers.

4. The coated substrate of claim 1 wherein said heat resistant non-fluoropolymer binder comprises one or more polymer selected from the group consisting of polyimide (PI), polyamideimide (PAI), polyether sulfone (PES), polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) and combinations thereof.

5. The coated substrate of claim 1 wherein said non-fluoropolymer binder comprises a combination of polyamideimide (PAI) and polyphenylene sulfide (PPS).

6. The coated substrate of claim 1 wherein said substrate is a metal substrate selected from the group consisting of aluminum, stainless steel, and carbon steel.

7. The coated substrate of claim 1 wherein said substrate is stainless steel.

8. The coated substrate of claim 1 wherein said inorganic filler comprises one or more of the inorganic oxides of titanium, aluminum, zinc, tin and mixtures thereof.

9. The coated substrate of claim 1 wherein said ceramic particles have an average particle size greater than 20 micrometers.

10. The coated substrate of claim 1 wherein said ceramic particles have an average particle size in the range of 14 to 60 micrometers.

11. The coated substrate of claim 1 wherein said ceramic particles have a Knoop hardness of at least 1200.

12. The coated substrate of claim 11 wherein said ceramic particles have an aspect ratio of not greater than 2.5.

13. The coated substrate of claim 11 wherein said ceramic particles are selected from a group consisting of inorganic nitrides, carbides, borides and oxides.

14. The coated substrate of claim 11 wherein said ceramic particles are silicon carbide.

15. The coated substrate of claim 14 wherein said silicon carbide particles have an aspect ratio of not greater than 2.5 and an average particle size greater than 20 micrometers.

16. The coated substrate of claim 1 wherein at least 90% by weight of the total weight of inorganic filler particles consists only of silicon carbide and titanium dioxide.