Faculty Directory

Liquid Crystals for biological studies and general engineering applications (e.g., displays and photovoltaics), X-ray scattering techniques of liquid crystal and other materials.

Professor Martínez-Miranda is currently studying the interaction of liquid crystal with nanoscale materials and the interaction with rough interfaces. Since nanometer-sized liquid crystal phases are found in the cell walls of all living creatures, her studies have implications in the healthcare field and the study of biological interactions, particularly where nanoparticles are used as carriers for the delivery of treatment.

Professor Martínez-Miranda contributed to the creation of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering's undergraduate program, including the design of two of its junior year materials labs. She also took part in a NSF-funded project to develop new laboratory experiments that effectively engage undergraduate engineering students in the scientific processes and exploration of concepts in nanotechnology.

Links to course descriptions and syllabi are provided where available.

She designed the following courses:

• ENMA 310*: Materials Lab I: Structural Characterization

• ENMA 311*: Materials Lab II: Electromagnetic Properties

* These courses were changed to ENMA312

• ENMA 445/645 (489L): Selected Topics in Engineering Materials: Liquid Crystals and Other Soft Matter Materials
  
  
  
  Liquid crystals and their applications, role in biology, and nanometer structure.

Professor Martínez-Miranda typically teaches the following courses:​​​​​​

• ENMA300/ENME382: Introduction to Materials Science and their Applications
• ENMA445/645: Selected Topics in Engineering Materials: Liquid Crystals and Other  Soft Matter

She has also taught the following courses

• ENMA475/681: Selected Topics in Engineering Materials: Diffraction Techniques in Materials Science: X-ray Synchrotron Techniques
• ENES100: Introduction to Engineering Design 

• Martinez-Miranda, L.J. & Kurihara, L.K., Interaction and response of a smectic-A liquid crystal to a nanometer particle: Phase transition due to the combined effect of the functionalization compound and particle size. Journal of Applied Physics 105 (8) (2009).
• Cordoyiannis, G., Kurihara, L.K., Martinez-Miranda, L.J., Glorieux, C., & Thoen, J., Effects of magnetic nanoparticles with different surface coating on the phase transitions of octylcyanobiphenyl liquid crystal. Physical Review E 79 (1) (2009).
• Martínez-Miranda, L.J., Kurihara, L.K., McCarthy, K. Bruce, R., Harry, J., & Noel, A. A phenomenological model of the effect of magnetic nanoparticles and their surface coating on smectic—A liquid crystal order. Submitted to Molec. Cryst Liq. Cryst., (2007).
• Martinez-Miranda, L.J., McCarthy, K., Kurihara, L.K., Harry, J.J., & Noel, A., Effect of the surface coating on the magnetic nanoparticle smectic-A liquid crystal interaction. Applied Physics Letters 89 (16) (2006).
•  Martinez-Miranda, L.J. & Hu, Y., Temperature and depth dependence of order in liquid crystal interfaces. Journal of Applied Physics 99 (11) (2006).
• Martinez-Miranda, L.J., McCarthy, K., Kurihara, L.K., & Noel, A., Effect of magnetic nanoparticles and their functionalization on liquid crystal order. Molecular Crystals and Liquid Crystals 435, 747-753 (2005).
• Koh, I. et al., X-ray scattering study of the interactions between magnetic nanoparticles and living cell membranes. Journal of Applied Physics 97 (8) (2005).
• Mohaddes-Ardabili, L. et al., Preferred orientation of DNA oligonucleotide probes on the (2x4) reconstructed surface of (001) GaAs. Journal of Applied Physics 95 (11), 6021-6024 (2004).
• Martinez-Miranda, L.J., An x-ray scattering study of the smectic-C* liquid crystal structure in the vicinity of the buried interface of a glass grating. Journal of Applied Physics 96 (6), 3272-3276 (2004).
• Mohaddes-Ardabili, L. et al., Attachment of DNA probes on gallium arsenide surface. Applied Physics Letters 83 (1), 192-194 (2003).
• Martinez-Miranda, L.J., Smectic ordering in confined liquid crystal films: A depth study. Journal of Applied Physics 91 (10), 6452-6456 (2002).
• Martinez-Miranda, L.J., Siegal, M.P., & Provencio, P.P., Nanostructural study of the thermal transformation of diamond-like amorphous carbon into an ultrahard carbon nanocomposite. Applied Physics Letters 79 (4), 542-544 (2001).