Fractal analysis of STM images of photochemical polymer of coniferyl alcohol

Fractal analysis was applied to images of photochemical lignin polymer obta ined using scanning tunneling microscope. We studied the polymer obtained i n vitro by ionic mechanism through UV radiation - induced polymerization. T he analysis showed the regularity of the lignin-like polymer at different l evels of organization. At the 95% confidence level, there was no significan t difference in the fractal dimension between images representing different organizational levels of photochemical lignin. That means that lignin prod uced in in vitro conditions by photochemical mechanism of synthesis, has a fractal structural organization. The obtained values of the fractal dimensi on are in good agreement with the theoretically predicted value for the pol yaddition and polycondensation mechanism of polymerization, known as the bu lk model.