Wetting, adsorption and surface critical phenomena

Our understanding of interfacial phenomena at the surfaces of critical syst ems, and in particular at the surfaces of critical binary liquid mixtures. has improved significantly in the past decade. There is now substantial agr eement between theory and experiment. In this paper we review recent experi mental progress, provide a conceptual framework within which the majority o f these experiments can now be understood, and discuss critically any remai ning unresolved discrepancies between experiments or with theory. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.