Patent ID: 7071137

Claim:
A method for making a catalyst support comprising the steps of: a) providing a silica seeding agent including silica particles having an average particle diameter of 0.001 up to less than 1.0 micron; b) contacting the silica seeding agent with a surface modifying agent having a formula selected from the group consisting of RMgX, MgR′R″ and R′MgOR″, wherein R, R′ and R″ are each individually a moiety selected from an alkyl, cycloalkyl, aryl or alkaryl group, and X is a halogen selected from the group consisting of chlorine, bromine and iodine, to provide a pretreated silica seeding agent; c) providing a non-aqueous liquid magnesium halide/alkanol complex; d) combining the non-aqueous liquid magnesium halide/alkanol complex with the pretreated silica; and e) crystallizing the magnesium halide onto the silica particles to form catalyst support particles.