Patent ID: 7851539

Claim:
A reduced Volatile Organic Compound coating, comprising: at least one pigment; at least one resin, wherein a portion of the at least one resin comprises at least one thermoplastic polymer and wherein another portion of the at least one resin comprises at least one modified hyperbranched polymer, the modified hyperbranched polymer comprising a polar hyperbranched polymer that has been esterified by at least one organic acid; and at least one added solvent; wherein the modified hyperbranched polymer is prepared by: providing a given thermoplastic polymer resin; providing a polar hydroxyl terminated hyperbranched polymer, the hyperbranched polymer having a viscosity lower than a viscosity of the linear thermoplastic polymer of the given resin; determining a number of hydroxyl ends in the hyperbranched polymer; determining a percentage of the hydroxyl ends to be modified; determining a stoichiometric amount of at least one acid to be used to modify the polar hydroxyl terminated hyperbranched polymer, the stoichiometric amount being calculated according to the number of hydroxyl ends in the hyperbranched polymer and the percentage of hydroxyl ends to be modified; and esterifying the polar hyperbranched polymer by adding the determined amount of the at least one acid to the polar hyperbranched polymer; and replacing a portion of the linear thermoplastic polymer in the given resin with the at least one modified hyperbranched polymer; and wherein up to about 13% of the linear thermoplastic polymer is replaced by the at least one modified hyperbranched polymer.