Functionalized catalyst supports and supported catalyst systems

A functionalized catalyst support having a chemical structure of the formula:

• So[Mem1(K1k1)(Dd)]s
• wherein:
• So is a particulated solid support material;
• Me is aluminum;
• K1 independently each occurrence is a ligand group bonded to Me having from 1 to 30 atoms other than hydrogen, with the proviso that in at least one occurrence, K1 is a fluoro-substituted hydrocarbyl group of from 1 to 20 carbons, and optionally two or more K1 groups may be bonded together thereby forming a bridging group linking two or more Me atoms or forming a fused ring system;
• k1 is a number from 1 to 5 selected to provide charge neutrality to the complex,
• D is an oxygen-containing bridging moiety chemically bonded to So by means of which the group, [Mem1(K1k1)(Dd)], is attached to the particulated solid support;
• d is a positive number from greater than 0 to 5 and less than the equal to m1, said d equaling the average number of chemical bonds to the substrate per group, [Mem1(K1k1)(Dd)];
• s is a number greater than or equal to 2 and is equal to the number of [Mem1(K1k1)(Dd)] groups attached to the substrate, So.

A method for preparing a functionalized catalyst support comprising:

• (a) slurring a particulated support in a hydrocarbon diluent;
• (b) adding a compound of the formula, Arfz″Al2Q16−z″ in sufficient quantity to fully react with surface groups as defined by titration with Et3Al, to form a treated support, where
• Arf is a fluorinated aromatic hydrocarbyl moiety of from 6 to 30 carbon atoms;
• z″ is a number from greater than 0 to 6, and
• Q1 independently each occurrence is selected from the groups consisting of hydrocarbyl-, hydrocarbyloxy-, and dihydrocarbylamido-group, of from 1 to 20 atoms other than hydrogen;
• (c) washing the treated support with a hydrocarbon liquid, and
• (d) optionally drying the functionalized catalyst support.