Nickel oxide (NiO) nanofibers with controlled microstructure were synthesized through the electrospinning technique using a solution composed of nickel acetate and polyvinyl alcohol. The microstructure of NiO nanofibers was found to be highly dependent on nickel acetate concentration in the solution and the post-heat treatment. As the nickel acetate concentration increases, the crystallinity index of NiO nanofibers increases from nearly 50 percent to 90 percent and the average crystallite size in the nanofibers increases from about 20 nm to 30 nm. Further, it was found that annealing the nanofibers at 1000 degrees C for 2 h leads to nearly full crystallization of nanofibers with significant increase in the crystallite size to about 50 nm while maintaining the fibrous shape. For low nickel acetate concentration, and because of the small nanofibers size, the surface of the calcined nanofibers showed oxygen deficiency which promises a superior activity of these NiO nanofibers for catalytic and sensing applications. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.