Hosted particle positions and dipole moments of protein-filled reverse micelles

Protein-filled water-in-oil microemulsion exhibits a percolation transition at a large water volume fraction, measured as a conductivity threshold. The lower percolation thresholds are attributed to the increased attractive interactions between micelles on adding the proteins. From the solutions of the nonlinear Poisson-Boltzmann equation, the average protein positions inside a reverse micelle for both uniform and dipole protein charges are calculated. For uniform charges, the average positions are always off center and depend strongly on the sign and amplitude of the protein charge. Dipole moments exhibited by the droplets are smallest when the protein has a small charge of the opposite sign to the surfactant charge.