Density functional theory of inhomogeneous classical fluids: recent developments and new perspectives

An introduction is given to this special issue which focuses on recent developments and future perspectives in density functional theory of inhomogeneous classical fluids.Different strategies and applications of classical density functional theory are discussed.The topics briefly treated are different approximation schemes for different interparticle interactions, binary mixtures and polydisperse systems, application to interfaces, wetting, confined geometries and porous media and also dynamical problems treated by density functional theory.Particular emphasis is placed on recent applications of Rosenfeld's fundamental measure approach.Finally a guide is presented to the subsequent articles in this Special Issue.