Carbon nanofern-like structure was synthesized by direct current plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition at 400 degrees C using acetylene as carbon precursor and nickel particle as seed. High resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) study confirmed the fern-like structure of the as-synthesized sample. It was seen that when nickel was not used a cluster deposition took place without forming any structure. Atomic force microscopy study showed the surface topology of the as-prepared samples. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy as well as HRTEM studies confirmed the presence of nickel in the carbon matrix. Current (I)-voltage (V) characteristics have been taken for three different temperatures. A nonlinear I-V characteristic was obtained for the fern like sample. Field emission study showed that carbon nanofern showed efficient field emission with a turn-on field as low as 4.8 V/mu m. Also, the field emission has been studied for different inter-electrode distances. (C) 2012 Published by Elsevier Ltd.