Fluids inside a pore—An integral equation approach

Abstract

Reverse micelles in water-in-oil microemulsions are modelled as charged spherical pores which are stabilized by surfactants. The integral equations developed in our previous papers are applied here to obtain the distribution of proteins inside a reverse micelle. At a certain level of approximation, the Poisson-Boltzmann equation (PB) is obtained. The analytical solution to the linearized PB equation is found and compared with the numerical solution of the nonlinear PB equation. As expected, substantial differences are found. Our results for the solubility of proteins inside a reverse micelle are different from those of the earlier thermodynamic treatment of Bratko et al. who used a somewhat different model. Our system can also be regarded as a model for ions in a semipermeable spherical vesicle through which solvent (water) but not ions can pass.