Abstract: A multi-phase liquid composition comprising a conductive liquid and a non-conductive liquid, said liquids being non miscible, wherein the conductive liquid comprises more than 90% up to 99.9% by weight of a first component having a surface tension above 45 mN/m and comprising water, salt and at least one freezing point lowering agent, and from 0.01% to less than 10% by weight of a second component having a surface tension below 30 mN/m and comprising at least one first compound, wherein said at least one first compound is a non ionic surfactant.

Abstract: The invention relates to an optical electrowetting device comprising a conductive fluid (5; 101) and a non-conductive fluid (4; 102), said fluids being non miscible, and an insulating substrate (2; 103) on which both fluids are in contact and form a triple interface, wherein the natural contact angle (105) of the non-conductive fluid (102) on the substrate (103) in presence of the conductive fluid (101) is comprised between 0° and about 20°. This device may be a variable focus liquid lens, an optical diaphragm, an optical zoom. The invention further relates to an apparatus such as a camera, a cell phone, an endoscope or a dental video camera, comprising said electrowetting device and a driver or electronic means for controlling the lens.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a multi-phase liquid composition comprising a conductive fluid and a non-conductive fluid, the non-conductive fluid being immiscible in the conductive fluid, the composition having a mean arithmetic cinematic viscosity of between about 1.5 cSt and about 40 cSt, within a temperature range of about ?20° C. to about +70° C. The invention also pertains to an optical electrowetting device comprising said multi-phase liquid composition, as well as an optical lens driven by electrowetting, and apparatus comprising the same.

Abstract: A method for centering a drop of liquid (2) on a given point on a surface (4). The inventive method consists in forming a bell-mouthed recess (6), whereby said recess has a curvature at any point at the limit of contact between the drop and the recess that is lower than or opposite to the curvature of a circle (TC) that is tangent to the surface of the recess to said point and at a symmetrical point (CP2) of said surface.

Abstract: A variable focus lens comprising a chamber (12) filled with a first liquid (13), a drop of a second liquid (11) being disposed at rest on a region of a first surface of an insulating wall of the chamber, the first and second liquids being non miscible, of different optical indexes and of substantially same density. The first liquid is conductive and the second liquid is insulating. The lens further comprises means for applying a voltage between the conductor liquid and an electrode (16) placed on the second surface of said wall; and centering means for maintaining the centering of the edge of the drop while the voltage is applied and for controlling the shape thereof.