Silica composites and supported chromium catalysts having a bulk density of 0.08 to 0.4 g/mL, a total pore volume of 0.4 to 2.5 mL/g, a BET surface area of 175 to 375 m.sup.2/g, and a peak pore diameter of 10 to 80 nm are disclosed herein. These silica composites and supported chromium catalysts can be formed by combining two silica components. The first silica component can be irregularly shaped, such as fumed silica, and the second silica component can be a colloidal silica or a silicon-containing compound, and the second silica component can act as a glue to bind the silica composite together.

Methods of making polyisobutylene and catalyst systems are described. Polyisobutylene compositions and catalyst system compositions are also described. In some embodiments, a method of making a catalyst system includes: providing a support material; calcining the support material; and forming a catalyst system by adding to the support material (a) a mixture comprising BF.sub.3, (b) a mixture comprising BF.sub.3 and a complexing agent, or (c) both. In some embodiments, a method of making a polymer composition includes providing a catalyst system comprising: (a) a support material selected from the group consisting of Al.sub.2O.sub.3, ZrO.sub.2, TiO.sub.2, SnO.sub.2, CeO.sub.2, SiO.sub.2, SiO.sub.2/Al.sub.2O.sub.3, and combinations thereof; and (b) BF.sub.3; providing a feedstock comprising isobutylene; forming a reaction mixture comprising the feedstock and the catalyst system; contacting the isobutylene with the catalyst system; and obtaining a polymer composition.

The present invention relates to a process for producing solid Ziegler-Natta catalyst component in the form of solid particles having a median particle size (D50.sub.vol) of 5 to 500 μm the process comprising steps I. providing a solution of a mixture of Group 2 metal compounds of i) a solution of a Group 2 metal dihalide and ii) at least one Group 2 metal alkoxide of the Periodic Table (IUPAC, Nomenclature of Inorganic Chemistry, 2005) II. contacting the solution of the mixture of Group 2 metal compounds of step I with a compound in a liquid form of a transition metal of Group 4 to 10, or of a lanthanide or actinide, preferably a transition metal of Group 4 to 6 of Periodic Table (IUPAC, Nomenclature of Inorganic Chemistry, 2005), and III. recovering the solid catalyst component, wherein the solution of a Group 2 metal dihalide i) is obtained by dissolving a solid Group 2 metal dihalide in an alcohol comprising at least a monohydric alcohol of formula ROH, where R is selected from hydrocarbyl of 3 to 16 C atoms, and wherein the amount of Group 2 metal originating from Group 2 metal dihalide in the solution of the mixture of Group 2 metal compounds is in the range of 5 to 90 mol-%. The invention further relates to a catalyst comprising the catalyst component and use thereof in olefin polymerisation process.

This invention relates to a supported catalyst system comprising: (i) at least one first catalyst component comprising a group 4 metallocycle containing metallocene complex; (ii) at least one second catalyst component comprising a 2,6-bis(imino)pyridyl iron complex; (iii) activator; and (iv) support. The catalyst system may be used for preparing polyolefins, such a bimodal polyethylene, typically in a gas phase polymerization.

Disclosed are a catalyst component and a catalyst for olefin polymerization, and an olefin polymerization method. The catalyst component comprises magnesium, titanium, a halogen and an internal electron donor, wherein the internal electron donor comprises a monocarboxylic acid ester compound and a diether compound, and the molar ratio of the monocarboxylic acid ester compound to the diether compound is (0.0035-0.7):1. By using the catalyst, a polymer having both a high isotactic index and a high melt flow index can be prepared.

The present invention relates to a process for producing of solid particulate olefin polymerisation catalyst or catalyst carrier comprising forming a solution of the catalyst or a catalyst carrier in a solvent, subjecting the solution into an atomization by spraying the solution via a capillary vibrating spray nozzle with a capillary orifice having a diameter of 5 to 100 μm generating a laminar jet of liquid, which disintegrates into liquid droplets entering into the spray-dryer, transforming the droplets with aid of a gas to solid particulate catalyst or carrier in the spray-dryer and recovering the solid particulate olefin polymerisation catalyst or carrier having particle size distribution defined by a volumetric SPAN of 0.7 or less. The invention further relates to the catalyst produced by the methods, and use thereof in olefin polymerisation process.

The present invention relates to a process for producing of solid particulate olefin polymerisation catalyst or catalyst carrier comprising forming a solution of the catalyst or a catalyst carrier in a solvent, subjecting the solution into an atomization by spraying the solution via a capillary vibrating spray nozzle with a capillary orifice having a diameter of 5 to 100 μm generating a laminar jet of liquid, which disintegrates into liquid droplets entering into the spray-dryer, transforming the droplets with aid of a gas to solid particulate catalyst or carrier in the spray-dryer and recovering the solid particulate olefin polymerisation catalyst or carrier having particle size distribution defined by a volumetric SPAN of 0.7 or less. The invention further relates to the catalyst produced by the methods, and use thereof in olefin polymerisation process.

Supported chromium catalysts with an average valence less than +6 and having a hydrocarbon-containing or halogenated hydrocarbon-containing ligand attached to at least one bonding site on the chromium are disclosed, as well as ethylene-based polymers with terminal alkane, aromatic, or halogenated hydrocarbon chain ends. Another ethylene polymer characterized by at least 2 wt. % of the polymer having a molecular weight greater than 1,000,000 g/mol and at least 1.5 wt. % of the polymer having a molecular weight less than 1000 g/mol is provided, as well as an ethylene homopolymer with at least 3.5 methyl short chain branches and less than 0.6 butyl short chain branches per 1000 total carbon atoms.

Disclosed herein are methods for preparing fluorided solid oxides by contacting an acidic fluorine-containing compound with an inorganic base to form an aqueous mixture having a pH of at least 4, followed by contacting a solid oxide with the aqueous mixture to produce the fluorided solid oxide. Also disclosed are methods for preparing fluorided solid oxides by contacting an acidic fluorine-containing compound with a solid oxide to produce a mixture, followed by contacting the mixture with a inorganic base to produce the fluorided solid oxide at a pH of at least about 4. The fluorided solid oxide can be used as an activator component in a catalyst system for the polymerization of olefins.

A composition, such as a catalyst precursor or a catalyst comprising a Cr coated silica support with particularly defined levels of Na and Al, such that the resulting Cr/Silica catalyst has an increased MI potential is disclosed. In an embodiment, the disclosed catalyst composition comprises a silica-containing substrate made using a base-set gel and comprising a catalytically active metal consisting of Cr, with Al impurities of less than 50 ppm and Na in an amount of less than 800 ppm of the catalyst composition. The disclosed composition has an increased MI potential over a catalyst having higher Al content, a lower Na:Al ratio, or both. Methods of making the disclosed composition, and methods of using it to prepare a polyethylene are also disclosed.