Living polymerization is one of the most active fields in polymer synthesis.Atom transfer radical polymerization(ATRP) has been widely used as an effective method for living polymerization of various kinds of monomers.ATRP is a simple process for controlled living radical polymerization leading to well-defined homopolymers and copolymers.In this article,the polymerization mechanism of ATRP was introduced,the application of atom transfer radical polymerization were summarized.