Kinetic Parameters of the Cross‐linking Reaction of Cellulose Membranes with Bifunctional Epoxides

Abstract Kinetic parameters of the cross‐linking reaction of porous cellulose membranes with aqueous solutions of two different diglycidyl ethers were determined by dynamic DSC experiments. The autocatalytic reaction behavior was described with an extended Prout‐Tompkins equation. Kinetic analysis revealed a similar kinetic behavior for both diglycidyl ethers, with an apparent activation energy of 45–65 kJ mol −1 and a reaction order between 0.9 and 1.5, suggesting a transition from one to another dominant reaction mechanism when the composition of the cross‐linking solution is changed. Conversion curves based on the kinetic analysis serve as a basis for the design and optimization of a continuously running process for the industrial‐scale production of cross‐linked cellulose membranes.