The graft copolymerization of acrylonitrile (AN) onto methanol-soluble kraft lignin (ML) was achieved through a two-step process in which AN was first polymerized with an alpha,alpha'-azobisisobutyronitrile initiator, followed by radical coupling with activated ML. A carbon nanofiber material was obtained by electrospinning a solution of this copolymer in N,N-dimethylformamide, then subjecting it to a heat treatment including thermostabilization at 250 degrees C and subsequent carbonization at 600-1400 degrees C. Increasing the carbonization temperature was found to increase the carbon content of the resulting carbon nanofibers from 70.5 to 97.1%, which had the effect of increasing their tensile strength from 35.2 to 89.4 MPa, their crystallite size from 13.2 to 19.1 nm, and their electrical conductivity from similar to 0 to 21.3 S cm(-1). The morphology of the mats, in terms of whether they experienced beading or not, was found to be dependent on the concentration of the initial electrospinning solution. From these results, it is proposed that these mats could provide the basis for a new class of carbon fiber material. (c) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.