Complex fluids (fluids containing colloids, electrolytes, and polymers) are common in natural and technological systems, from biological fluids such as milk, plasma, and blood to common systems such as emulsions, e.g., shampoos and detergents, polymeric solutions used for many industry applications, as well as suspensions of metal particles, oxides, and electrolytes in the mining and manufacturing industries. In complex fluids, the fluid’s stability to phase separation and its macroscopic properties depend on its internal structure. We envision mathematical models based on Density Functional Theory (DFT) and Near Equilibrium Thermodynamics to analyse the internal structure and properties of complex fluids, which contain liquid and solid particles as well as electrolytes. We compare the calculations to experiments, for example atomic force microscopy (AFM) measurements of complex liquids, and analyze the meaning of the measured force and its connection to the internal structure and properties of the complex liquids being measured.
