Carbon nanofibers were synthesized by catalytic pyrolysis of acetylene on Ni-coated alumina flakes at 450-800 degrees C. SEM and TEM observations indicated that the diameters and structure of carbon nanofibers were strongly affected by temperatures, the carbon nanofibers synthesized at 550 degrees C had a coil-like shape, while the products obtained at 700 degrees C contained many platelet-stacked nanofibers. A growth model was proposed to explain the structure of the platelet-stacked nanofibers.