February 22, 2012 Dear Editor, Please find enclosed the manuscript entitled: Microwave Synthesis of Fullerene-Doped MgB2

Authors: C. Plapcianu, P. Badica, A. Agostino, G.V. Aldica, E. Bonometti, M. Truccato, S. Popa, G. Ieluzzi, S. Cagliero, Y. Sakka, O. Vasylkiv, R.Vidu which we would like to submit for publication in Industrial and Engineering Chemical Research, as a paper. MgB2 is currently considered as a superconductor of high potential for practical applications and commercialization. It has several advantages such as low cost, low anisotropy, low density, and a relatively high critical temperature Tc of 39 K. MgB2 shows also unconventional physics offering, at least theoretically, the possibility for the enhancement of the functional characteristics such as Jc and Hirr through chemical doping. Carbon is recognized to be an effective addition, substituting B in the lattice of MgB2. However, this carbon should be very active to realize the desired substitution of B, and, hence, the choice for the starting compound and of the technological processing route of the material are important. Our structural and superconducting properties strongly support the idea that C supplied as fullerene, C60, enters the MgB2 lattice replacing B during mono-modal MW synthesis. The result is similar as for the samples obtained by another field activated method, Spark Plasma Sintering, and is opposite to the data on conventional synthesis for which C substitution did not occur when using C60 addition. Our samples show also improved density vs. previous MW experiments reported in the literature. Sincerely yours, C. Plapcianu, On behalf of authors National Institute of Materials Physics, Magnetism and Superconductivity Department Atomistilor street, 105 bis, PO BOX MG-7, Bucharest-Magurele, RO-77125, ROMANIA. Phone: + 4021 3690170 / 146 FAX: + 4021 3690177 E-mail address: carmenplapcianu@yahoo.com; carmen@infim.ro