Bromo-Double-Terminated polystyrene (Br-PSt-Br) and poly(methyl methacrylate) (Br-PMMA-Br) with predesigned molecular weight and narrow polydispersity were prepared by atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) using the initiating system aa'-dibromo-p-xylene(DBX)/CuBr/2,2'-bipyridine(bipy). The precursor bromo-terminated polymers were subsequently functionalized with fullerene C-60 using CuBr/bipy as the catalyst system under microwave irradiation (MI). The telechelic C-60 end-capped products were characterized by gel permeation chromatography (GPC), UV-vis, FT-IR, TGA, DSC, H-1 NMR, and C-13 NMR. The results showed that microwave irradiation could significantly increase the rate of fullerenation. reaction, and the physical properties and structure of the C-60 end-capped polymers are not modified by the use of the microwave. (c) 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.