Coating compositions containing tetramethyl cyclobutanediol

A thermosetting coating composition, consisting of:

• (A). about 2 to about 50 weight percent, based on the total weight of (A), (B), and (C) of a curable polyester, consisting of:
• i. diacid residues, consisting of about 30 to 100 mole percent, based on the total moles of diacid residues, of the residues of isophthalic acid;
• ii. diol residues, consisting of about 20 to 100 mole percent of the residues of 2,2,4,4-tetramethyl-1,3-cyclobutanediol, and about 80 to about 0 mole percent of the residues of neopentyl glycol, based on the total moles of diol residues;
• and
• iii. about 3 to about 30 mole percent, based on the total moles of diol and polyol residues, of the residues of at least one polyol chosen from trimethylolpropane, pentaerythritol, trimethylolethane, erythritol, and dipentaerythritol;
• wherein said curable polyester has a number average molecular weight of about 500 to about 10,000 daltons, a glass transition temperature of about −35° C. to about 80° C., a hydroxyl number of about 20 to about 300 mg KOH/g of polyester, and an acid number of 0 to about 80 mg KOH/g of polyester;
• (B). about 25 to about 88 weight percent, based on the total weight of (A), (B), and (C) of at least one acrylic copolymer of ethylenically unsaturated monomers comprising at least one hydroxyl, epoxy, carboxyl, blocked phenol, or acetoacetoxy functional group;
• (C). about 10 to about 50 weight percent, based on the total weight of (A), (B), and (C), of at least one crosslinker chosen from epoxides, melamines, isocyanates, and isocyanurates;
• (D). about 10 to about 60 weight percent, based on the total weight of (A), (B), (C), and (D) of at least one non-aqueous solvent;
• (E). a crosslinking catalyst comprising at least one compound chosen from p-toluenesulfonic acid, dodecylbenzene sulfonic acid, dinonylnaphthalene sulfonic acid, and dinonylnaphthalene disulfonic acid, benzoic acid, triphenylphosphine, dibutyltindilaurate, and dibutyltindiacetate;
• and
• (F). at least one coating additive chosen from leveling agents, rheology agents, flow control agents, plasticizers, flatting agents, pigment wetting and dispersing agents, pigments, dyes, ultraviolet light absorbers, ultraviolet light stabilizers;
• defoaming agents, antifoaming agents, anti-settling agents, anti-sag agents, bodying agents, anti-skinning agents;
• anti-flooding agents, anti-floating agents, and corrosion inhibitors.