Wetting defects were created thanks to electrowetting: the effective surface tension between brine and
an insulating solid is independently monitored, via an external electrical field, on two complementary
areas (defect and background). This article describes the bicapacitor substrates that allow such a zone
differentiation when connected to an adequate high-tension setup. Observations of the deformation of a
drop on a stripe-shaped defect showed that it is possible to scan an appreciable range of wetting contrasts
between the defect and the background with a unique sample. Theoretical calculations suggest an order
of magnitude for electrostatic edge effects characteristic of these “virtual” wetting defects.
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