EPOXY RESIN COMPOSITIONS

1 . An epoxy resin composition, comprising at least one epoxy resin having the Formula (I):

where a is an integer from 0 to 5, x is an integer from 3 to 15, y is an integer from 5 to 30, z is 0 or one, b is an integer from 3 to 10, c is an integer from one to 6, R 1 is a C 6 to C 20 cycloalkylene group, and R 2 is a saturated C 2 to C 20 aliphatic hydrocarbon group or a saturated C 5 to C 20 cycloaliphatic hydrocarbon group.

2 . The epoxy resin composition of claim 1 , wherein a is an integer from 0 to 3, x is an integer from 4 to 12, y is an integer from 5 to 24, b is an integer from 3 to 6, and c is an integer from one to 3.

3 . The epoxy resin composition of claim 1 , wherein R 1 is a C 6 to C 10 cycloalkylene group, and R 2 is a saturated C 2 to C 8 aliphatic hydrocarbon group or a saturated C 5 to C 15 cycloaliphatic hydrocarbon group.

4 . The epoxy resin composition of claim 1 , wherein R 2 is a group selected from a linear or branched —C 2 H 4 —, —C 3 H 6 —, —C 4 H 8 —, —C 5 H 10 —, —C 6 H 12 —, —C 7 H 14 — or —C 8 H 16 — group; cyclohexylene; 1,2-cyclohexanedimethylene; 1,3-cyclohexanedimethylene; 1,4-cyclohexanedimethylene; 4,4′-(propane-2,2-diyl)dicyclohexyl;

5 . The epoxy resin composition of claim 1 , wherein R 1 is a divalent group selected from a cyclohexene group and a methylcyclohexene group.

6 . The epoxy resin composition of claim 1 , wherein the epoxy resin composition has an acid value of one milligram potassium hydroxide per gram or less.

7 . The epoxy resin composition of claim 1 , wherein the epoxy resin composition is free from aromatic epoxy resins.

8 . A process of preparing the epoxy resin composition of claim 1 , wherein the process comprising the steps of:

(i) providing a half-ester of an aliphatic or cycloaliphatic saturated carboxylic acid or its anhydride with an alcohol, wherein the alcohol is an alkyl alcohol or its dimer and has from 3 to 10 hydroxyl groups; and

(ii) reacting the half-ester with a saturated polyglycidyl ether of an alkyl alcohol and/or a saturated cycloaliphatic polyglycidyl ether to form the epoxy resin composition, wherein the molar ratio of the polyglycidyl ether to the carboxyl acid groups in the half-ester is 1 or higher.

9 . The process of claim 8 , wherein the alcohol used to prepare the half ester is selected from glycerol, trimethylol propane, pentaerythritol, dipentaerythritol, diglycerol or mixtures thereof.

10 . The process of claim 8 , wherein the anhydride is selected from hexahydrophthalic anhydride, methylhexahydrophthalic anhydride, or mixtures thereof.

11 . The process of claim 8 , wherein the polyglycidyl ether is selected from 1,6-hexanediol diglycidyl ether; 1,4-butanediol diglycidyl ether; trimethylolpropane triglycidyl ether; neopentane glycol diglycidyl ether; cyclohexanedimethanol diglycidyl ether; 4,4′-(propane-2,2-diyl)dicyclohexyl diglycidyl ether or mixtures thereof.

12 . The process of claim 8 , wherein the half-ester is prepared by reacting the alcohol with the anhydride at a molar ratio of hydroxyl groups of the alcohol to anhydride group(s) of the anhydride ranging from 1.4:1 to 1:1.

13 . The process of claim 8 , wherein the molar ratio of the polyglycidyl ether to the carboxyl acid groups in the half-ester is in the range of 3:1 to 1:1.

14 . The process of claim 8 , wherein the half-ester reacts with the polyglycidyl ether in the presence of a catalyst selected from phosphines, quaternary ammonium compounds, phosphonium compounds or mixtures thereof.

15 . A curable coating composition comprising the epoxy resin composition of claim 1 , and an amine curing agent selected from an aliphatic amine or its adduct, a cycloaliphatic amine or its adduct, and mixtures thereof.

16 . The curable coating composition of claim 15 , wherein the amine curing agent is selected from aminoethylpiperazine; isophorone diamine;

diethylenetriamine;

4,4′-diaminodicyclohexylmethane; 1,2-diaminocyclohexane; polyether amine;

polyamide; and mixtures thereof.