A composite wire for use with a wire arc spray system and related methods. The composite wire can include: a low melting point material at a core region thereof and a cladding including a metal surrounding the core region, the low metal point material having a melting point less than that of the metal, wherein the low melting point material includes a polymer in the form of a powder having particles having a size of from approximately 1 nanometer to approximately 100 nanometers.