| Critical Casimir forces are governed by universal scaling functions which exhibit a surprisingly rich variation in the parameter space of the relevant scaling variables. This characteristic can be exploited for controlling them at the submicron scale, at which they can compete successfully with other types of interactions in determining the properties of various soft matter systems. A general introduction to the critical Casimir effect will be given and recent theoretical and experimental progress will be reported. Potential applications and further perspectives will be discussed. |
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