A team from MIT have developed a solar cell one-fiftieth of the thickness of a human hair, which is so light that it can be placed on a bubble of soap without bursting it. This tiny cell, the substrate that supports it, and its protective coating, were all developed in a single step through a process of vaporising monomers before introducing them into a vacuum chamber. This means that no handling of the cell is required and there is little chance of contamination.