A hydrogel comprising water, and a plurality of titanium-silica nanoparticle agglomerates, wherein each titanium-silica nanoparticle agglomerate is an agglomeration of titanium-silica nanoparticles, the agglomerates having an average titanium loading designated x with a coefficient of variation for the average titanium loading of less than about 1.0, wherein a silica content of the hydrogel is of from about 10 wt. % to about 35 wt. % based on a total weight of the hydrogel.

The present invention relates to a supported hybrid vanadium-chromium-based catalyst, characterized in the catalyst is supported on a porous inorganic carrier and a V active site and a inorganic Cr active site are present on the porous inorganic carrier at the same time. The present invention further relates to a process for producing a supported hybrid vanadium-chromium-based catalyst. The invention also provides the preparation method of the catalyst, titanium or fluorine compounds, vanadium salt and chromium salt according to the proportion, different methods of sequence and load on the inorganic carrier, after high temperature roasting, still can further add organic metal catalyst promoter prereduction activation treatment on it. The catalyst of the present invention can be used for producing ethylene homopolymers and ethylene/α-olefin copolymers. The hybrid vanadium-chromium-based catalyst can have high activity and produce polyethylene polymers having the properties of broad molecular weight distribution (Part of the products are bimodal distribution) and excellent α-olefin copolymerization characteristic.

The present invention relates to a supported hybrid vanadium-chromium-based catalyst, characterized in the catalyst is supported on a porous inorganic carrier and a V active site and a inorganic Cr active site are present on the porous inorganic carrier at the same time. The present invention further relates to a process for producing a supported hybrid vanadium-chromium-based catalyst. The invention also provides the preparation method of the catalyst, titanium or fluorine compounds, vanadium salt and chromium salt according to the proportion, different methods of sequence and load on the inorganic carrier, after high temperature roasting, still can further add organic metal catalyst promoter prereduction activation treatment on it. The catalyst of the present invention can be used for producing ethylene homopolymers and ethylene/α-olefin copolymers. The hybrid vanadium-chromium-based catalyst can have high activity and produce polyethylene polymers having the properties of broad molecular weight distribution (Part of the products are bimodal distribution) and excellent α-olefin copolymerization characteristic.

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.

Catalyst preparation systems and methods for preparing reduced chromium catalysts are disclosed, and can comprise irradiating a supported chromium catalyst containing hexavalent chromium with a light beam having a wavelength within the UV-visible light spectrum. Such reduced chromium catalysts have improved catalytic activity compared to chromium catalysts reduced by other means. The use of the reduced chromium catalyst in polymerization reactor systems and olefin polymerization processes also is disclosed, resulting in polymers with a higher melt index.

Methods for making a supported chromium catalyst are disclosed, and can comprise contacting a silica-coated alumina containing at least 30 wt. % silica with a chromium-containing compound in a liquid, drying, and calcining in an oxidizing atmosphere at a peak temperature of at least 650° C. to form the supported chromium catalyst. The supported chromium catalyst can contain from 0.01 to 20 wt. % chromium, and typically can have a pore volume from 0.5 to 2 mL/g and a BET surface area from 275 to 550 m.sup.2/g. The supported chromium catalyst subsequently can be used to polymerize olefins to produce, for example, ethylene-based homopolymers and copolymers having high molecular weights and broad molecular weight distributions.

Methods for making a supported chromium catalyst are disclosed, and can comprise contacting a silica-coated alumina containing at least 30 wt. % silica with a chromium-containing compound in a liquid, drying, and calcining in an oxidizing atmosphere at a peak temperature of at least 650° C. to form the supported chromium catalyst. The supported chromium catalyst can contain from 0.01 to 20 wt. % chromium, and typically can have a pore volume from 0.5 to 2 mL/g and a BET surface area from 275 to 550 m.sup.2/g. The supported chromium catalyst subsequently can be used to polymerize olefins to produce, for example, ethylene-based homopolymers and copolymers having high molecular weights and broad molecular weight distributions.

Catalyst preparation systems and methods for preparing reduced chromium catalysts are disclosed, and can comprise irradiating a supported chromium catalyst containing hexavalent chromium with a light beam having a wavelength within the UV-visible light spectrum. Such reduced chromium catalysts have improved catalytic activity compared to chromium catalysts reduced by other means. The use of the reduced chromium catalyst in polymerization reactor systems and olefin polymerization processes also is disclosed, resulting in polymers with a higher melt index.

Catalyst preparation systems and methods for preparing reduced chromium catalysts are disclosed, and can comprise irradiating a supported chromium catalyst containing hexavalent chromium with a light beam having a wavelength within the UV-visible light spectrum. Such reduced chromium catalysts have improved catalytic activity compared to chromium catalysts reduced by other means. The use of the reduced chromium catalyst in polymerization reactor systems and olefin polymerization processes also is disclosed, resulting in polymers with a higher melt index.

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.