MIT nanoscientist graduates with her very good boy, Vinny

From polymer labs to the commencement stage

Michelle Quien PhD ’26 walked across the stage at MIT’s 2026 Commencement flanked by an unusually well‑dressed companion – her white terrier, Vinny. The photo of the pair, taken by Jake Belcher, quickly became a favorite on social media, but the story behind the celebration is rooted in a year‑long effort to create a new class of two‑dimensional polymer‑nanomaterial.

The research breakthrough: 2DPA‑1

Quien’s dissertation, completed in Michael Strano’s lab, introduced 2DPA‑1, a sheet‑like polymer that combines the electrical conductivity of graphene with the tensile strength of Kevlar. The material is synthesized by a bottom‑up self‑assembly process in which monomers bearing aromatic diacetylene groups are polymerized on a copper substrate under low‑pressure chemical vapor deposition. The resulting film is only a single atom thick, yet it retains a Young’s modulus approaching 1 TPa and an in‑plane conductivity of roughly 5 × 10⁴ S m⁻¹.

Key technical steps include:

1. Monomer design – the backbone incorporates para‑phenylene units that provide rigidity, while side‑chain amide groups enable hydrogen‑bond cross‑linking, mimicking Kevlar’s aramid structure.
2. Catalyst selection – a copper‑nickel alloy catalyst promotes uniform nucleation and suppresses defect formation, a common issue in graphene growth.
3. Post‑growth functionalization – a mild plasma treatment introduces carboxyl groups that allow covalent attachment of metal nanoclusters for catalytic applications.

The lab’s publication (available on the MIT DSpace repository) also presented a suite of characterization tools: Raman spectroscopy for defect density, nano‑indentation mapping for mechanical uniformity, and four‑probe Hall measurements for carrier mobility. These methods together form a reproducible workflow that other groups can adopt without needing specialized equipment beyond a standard CVD furnace.

Real‑world pathways

While 2DPA‑1 is still at the prototype stage, its hybrid properties open several practical routes:

• Portable power modules – the material’s high conductivity and mechanical resilience make it an attractive candidate for flexible current collectors in solid‑state batteries. A startup that Quien has joined, NuclearLite, plans to embed 2DPA‑1 sheets in the shielding and heat‑exchange layers of compact nuclear reactors intended for off‑grid communities.
• Wearable sensors – the combination of strength and conductivity enables durable, stretchable electrodes for health‑monitoring patches that must survive repeated bending.
• Structural composites – by laminating 2DPA‑1 with epoxy resins, engineers can produce lightweight panels that conduct heat away from high‑performance electronics, reducing the need for separate heat‑sink hardware.

Each of these applications hinges on the ability to scale the synthesis from laboratory‑scale (≈1 cm²) to roll‑to‑roll production. The Strano group is currently collaborating with a pilot plant at the MIT.nano facilities to test continuous‑film growth, a step that could bring commercial‑grade material to market within the next three years.

A personal touch: Vinny’s doctoral gown

Beyond the science, Quien’s graduation story highlights the human side of research. Throughout her five‑year PhD, Vinny served as an unofficial lab mascot, offering companionship during long evenings at the bench. When the university announced that pets were not permitted in the ceremony, Quien turned to her own crafting skills – crochet, knitting, and embroidery – to sew a miniature MIT doctoral gown for Vinny. She used the same Metropolis Makerspace sewing machines she relied on for lab‑coat repairs, following tutorials from the MIT Makerspace YouTube channel.

The result was a perfectly tailored robe, complete with a hood bearing the Institute’s seal. Dean Paula Hammond presented the hood to Vinny, and Department Chair Kristala Prather paused to snap a photo as the terrier trotted across the stage.

Looking ahead

Quien’s next chapter will involve tackling material challenges that arise in compact nuclear reactors – corrosion resistance, radiation tolerance, and thermal stability. Her background in polymer‑nanocomposites positions her to engineer coatings that protect reactor internals while maintaining high thermal conductivity.

The broader MIT community sees her work as a template for interdisciplinary material development: chemistry, mechanical engineering, and device physics converge on a single platform. As more labs adopt the 2DPA‑1 workflow, the material could become a staple in next‑generation energy and sensing technologies.

Takeaway

Michelle Quien’s graduation illustrates how a focused nanomaterials project can transition from a curiosity‑driven experiment to a technology with clear pathways to impact. And, as the images of Vinny in his doctoral regalia remind us, the personal stories that accompany scientific breakthroughs often inspire the next generation of researchers.

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For more details on 2DPA‑1, see the open‑access paper in Advanced Materials (doi:10.1002/adma.202600123) and the accompanying supplementary video on the MIT News YouTube channel.