Carbon nanofibers (CNFs) with different content of surface functional groups which are carboxyl groups (CNF-OX), carbonyl groups (CNF-CO) and hydroxyl groups (CNF-OH) and nitrogen-containing groups (CNF-ON) are synthesized, and their electrocatalytic activities toward oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in alkaline solution are investigated. The result of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) characterization indicates that a higher concentration of carboxyl groups, carbonyl groups and hydroxyl groups are imported onto the CNF-OX, CNF-CO and CNF-OH, respectively. Cyclic voltammetry shows that both the oxygen- and nitrogen-containing groups can improve the electrocatalytic activity of CNFs for ORR. The CNF-ON/GC electrode, which has nitrogen-containing groups, exhibits the highest current density of ORR. Rotating disk electrode (RDE) characterization shows that the oxygen reduction on CNF-ON/GC electrode proceeds almost entirely through the four-electron reduction pathway, the CNF-OX/GC, CNF-CO/GC and CNF-OH/GC electrodes proceed a two-electron reduction pathway at low potentials (-0.2 V to -0.6 V) followed by a gradual four-electron reduction pathway at more negative potentials, while the untreated carbon nanofiber (CNF-P/GC) electrode proceeds predominantly by a two-electron reduction pathway within the whole range of potential studied. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.