About

Miriam Rafailovich received her PhD from Stony Brook University in Applied Nuclear Physics. She then did her postdoctoral work at Brookhaven National Laboratory and the Weizmann Institute. Miriam was a professor of Physics and Astronomy at CUNY, Queens College, and is currently a distinguished professor at Stony Brook University in the Department of Materials Science and Chemical Engineering. She is known as a pioneer in the integration of research with education, having graduated more than 60 PhD and Master's students and mentored several hundred undergraduate and high school students from across the United States and abroad. Miriam is the co-author of more than 400 publications in peer-reviewed journals and technical review articles. Her research interests span a broad spectrum, addressing challenges in sustainability, environmental protection, medicine, and tissue engineering. She has published extensively and collaborated with regional industries in areas such as polymer nanocomposites, polymer surface and interfacial phenomena, biodegradable polymers, additive manufacturing, environmental flame retardants, green energy generation—including hydrogen and anionic fuel cells and photovoltaics—biosensors, tissue engineering, stem cell differentiation, protein folding, and nanotoxicology. She has received numerous awards, including being a co-Director of the NSF Materials Research Science & Engineering Center: Polymers at Engineered Interfaces, the SUNY Chancellor's Award for Research in Science, Engineering, and Medicine, and recognition as a Fellow of the American Physical Society and the Siemens Foundation Outstanding Mentor Award.

Research topics

• Composite material
• Materials science
• Nanotechnology
• Chemistry
• Chemical engineering
• Crystallography
• Optics
• Inorganic chemistry
• Optoelectronics
• Physical chemistry
• Nuclear chemistry

Selected publications

• Fructose-Induced Glycation End Products Promote Skin-Aging Phenotypes and Senescence Marker Expression in Human Dermal Fibroblasts

  International Journal of Molecular Sciences · 2025-06-26 · 3 citations

  articleOpen access

  Skin aging is a multi-factorial process characterized by the progressive deterioration of biomechanical properties and cellular functionality. One such factor is the formation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs), which are known to have detrimental effects on the skin, including stiffening of the extracellular matrix (ECM) and reduction of cellular proliferation. AGEs accumulate because of sugar metabolism dysfunction; however, the direct impact of elevated sugar levels on cellular physiology requires further investigation. Here, we elucidated the effects of elevated fructose levels on skin cell function using in vitro models and hypothesized that high fructose levels adversely impact cell function. By fluorescence microscopy, we observed that high fructose induced different cellularity, cell morphology, and stress fiber appearance than the controls. Skin cells exposed to high fructose levels showed impaired growth and delayed closure in an artificial wound model. Mechanistically, high fructose conditions induce inflammatory cytokines and activate the NFκB pathway. Furthermore, we observed for the first time an increase in the senescence markers p16, p21, and p53 in response to high fructose levels. Taken together, we show that high fructose levels affect many critical skin functions that contribute to the aging process and recapitulate several aspects of aging related to AGEs.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Dielectric and small angle neutron scattering analysis of molded and 3D printed polypropylene–graphene nanocomposites

  MRS Advances · 2025-08-18

  articleSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• Unraveling the molecular mechanism of in situ surface-initiated thrombogenesis

  Journal of Thrombosis and Haemostasis · 2025-10-31 · 1 citations

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  PublisherDOI

• The impact of graphene-based materials on anion-exchange membrane fuel cells

  Carbon Trends · 2025-01-05 · 6 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior authorCorresponding

  This study addresses the challenges of power output and durability in anion-exchange membrane (AEM) fuel cells (AEMFCs) through the use of graphene-based materials. Graphene oxide (GO) and partially reduced graphene oxide (prGO) with varying degrees of reduction were synthesized and characterized via Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). AEMs were coated with the synthesized graphene materials and tested with Pt catalyst. The addition of GO and prGO with high degrees of reduction improved power output by 12% and 5%, respectively, and increased durability by 29%. Optimal reduction degree of prGO showed significant improvements, enhancing power output by 53% and doubling membrane life. When FeCo-N-C replaced Pt/C at the cathode, the power enhancement with intermediate prGO was reduced to 16%, and durability increased by only 13%, indicating a specific synergy with Pt. X-ray computed tomography (XCT) analysis showed that graphene addition-maintained membrane integrity and prevented Pt nucleation within the membrane. However, after 140 h, the membrane interface became rough, causing electrical shorts. It is hypothesized that the hexagonal carbon ring structure of graphene allows OH - migration but blocks larger Pt ions, preventing degradation. Further investigation is needed to understand the significant power enhancement with minimal prGO addition.

  PublisherDOI

• Effect of film formation in polypropylene graphene metacomposite

  AIP conference proceedings · 2025-01-01

  articleSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• Development of polymer systems capable of counteracting surface-induced fibrillogenesis

  The Ukrainian Biochemical Journal · 2025-02-27 · 1 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  It is known that the use of medical devices having polymer surfaces exposed to blood flow often leads to thrombogenesis. The mechanism of thrombus formation depends, in part, on the hydrophobic/hydrophilic nature and adhesive properties of the surface, on which spontaneously initiated fibrillogenesis can occur in the absence of thrombin. In this work, the connection between the “Berg limit” and the ability of polymer surfaces to aggregate fibrinogen into fiber structures was investigated using two unique systems. Polystyrene (PS), a well-characterized, stable polymer, was first tested because of its ability to readily impart hydrophilicity using UV-ozone without additional additives. However, in order to explore a biodegradable polymer with greater physiological relevance, the focus was switched to polyvinyl alcohol (PVA). To improve the mechanical properties and increase the hydrophilicity of PVA, a chemical approach was used with the addition of the clay functionalized with resorcinol diphenyl phosphate (RDP). Observations for the two different systems indicated that fibrinogen absorption undergoes a transition through the Berg limits, regardless of a physical or chemical approach, and that there was a significant reduction in surface fibrillogenesis with contact angles below this threshold. Finally, HUVEC cell adhesion to the surface of PVA-RDP with no negative effect on proliferation and endothelialization capability was demonstrated. A guideline is proposed for designing non-thrombogenic materials by rendering the surface hydrophilic. This phenomenon could be applied to engineering polymers more applicable to biomedical purposes. Keywords: Berg limit, fiber formations, fibrinogen absorption, HUVEC­ cells, polymer surfaces, thrombogenicity

  PublisherDOI

• Multiscale Modeling of the Structure and Dynamics of Soluble Fibrin

  Journal of Thrombosis and Haemostasis · 2025-11-01

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  PublisherDOI

• Rhizobium tropici biopolymer enhances lateral root formation in agar-grown Arabidopsis

  Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications · 2025-05-29 · 1 citations

  articleSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• Interplay of surface energy and rheology in biopolymer soil enhancement

  Polymer Testing · 2025-10-25

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Biopolymers such as xanthan gum (XG) and locust bean gum (LBG) hold great potential as eco-friendly alternative soil binders. In this work, we investigated the impact of XG/LBG mixtures on the unconfined compressive strength (UCS) of sand. The high strength of dry biopolymer/sand arises from the cohesion between solid polymer films and sand particles which supported by work of adhesion calculation and soil mechanics measurement. LBG exhibits much lower sand reinforcement efficacy because polymers unevenly distributed within sand matrix. The formation of a core-shell structure in LBG/sand is an interplay of surface free energy and viscoelastic properties of polymer solutions. This structure is altered when LBG mixed with XG at varying ratios as those physical properties changed due to the complexity of polymer chains association. By probing these factors, we aim to elucidate the role of surface energies and polymer physics in governing the strength of the sand/polymer network, thereby contributing to a more comprehensive understanding polymer-sand interface. The low strength of gels (G’ ∼10Pa) cannot solely account for the increased UCS of wet sand over 10 kPa. Instead, the high strength of biopolymer/sand is more likely derived from the granular particles with biopolymers as solid glue. • Addition of as little as 0.2 wt% of Xanthan gum greatly enhances the compressive strength of sand granules. • Additional enhancement is obtained when Xanthan Gum is mixed with Locust Bean Gum at different ratios. • LBG's low surface energy drives it to the air interface, forming core shell structure that weakens the compressive strength. • Electron microscopy and micro-CT show polymer films and fibrils coating the sand granules, explaining the higher compressive modulus.

  PublisherDOI

• 49328 Effects of Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles in Skin Wound Healing

  Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology · 2024-09-01

  articleOpen accessSenior author
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Recent grants

• NSF/FDA SIR: Surface-Induced Self-Assembly of Fibrinogen Fibers: Designing Non- thrombogenic Materials and Understanding the Link Between Cholesterol and Thrombosis

  NSF · $150k · 2012–2013

• INSPIRE Track 1: Multifunctional Interfaces for Responsive Materials

  NSF · $1.1M · 2013–2018

• Polymers at Interfaces: A Vehicle for Integrating Research with Education

  NSF · $1.6M · 2006–2013

Frequent coauthors

• Jonathan Sokolov

  Stony Brook University

  610 shared

• Tadanori Koga

  Division of Chemistry

  152 shared

• Sushil K. Satija

  National Institute of Standards and Technology

  125 shared

• Shouren Ge

  121 shared

• Harald Ade

  120 shared

• Marcia Simon

  Stony Brook University

  93 shared

• Young‐Soo Seo

  Sejong University

  88 shared

• Kwanwoo Shin

  Sogang University

  85 shared

Education

• Ph.D., Materials Science and Engineering

  Stony Brook University

  1996

• M.S., Materials Science and Engineering

  Stony Brook University

  1992

• B.S., Materials Science and Engineering

  Stony Brook University

  1989

Awards & honors

• Lady Davis Foundation Scholar
• Fellow, American Physical Society
• Co-Director NSF Materials Research Science & Engineering Cen…
• SUNY Chancellors Award for Research in Science, Engineering,…
• Siemens Foundation Recognition Award as Outstanding Mentor f…