Borate and MAO Free Activating Supports for Metallocene Complexes

Fluorinated activating supports (AS) for metallocene complexes were prepared via treatment of silica with AlEt₃ or AlEt₂F followed by pyrolysis and combustion steps, and a subsequent fluorination step when AlEt₃ was used. This new family of activators appears to be universal for metallocene complexes leading to catalysts displaying high activities in ethylene polymerization without the addition of MAO. A productivity of 3200 g g_AS^–1 was obtained in 1 h with the catalyst <i>rac</i>-Et­(Ind)₂ZrCl₂/AS₈/Al­(<i>i</i>Bu)₃ at 80 °C under 10 bar of ethylene. An isotactic polypropylene with a melting transition at 145 °C was prepared using <i>rac</i>-Me₂Si­(2-Me-benz­(e)­Ind)₂ZrCl₂ activated by AS9 and Al­(<i>i</i>Bu)₃. The spherical particle morphology of polyolefins was particularly adapted to slurry processes employed in industry