It is generally believed that phosphorus is the main limiting factor of eutrophication, so controlling the concentration of phosphorus is considered to be the key to lake management. Lake eutrophication could continue for decades after the effective control of exogenous phosphorus input, due to the release of endogenous phosphorus from lake sediment. The technology of in-situ chemical inactivation of sediment is widely used as one of the control technologies of endogenous phosphorus in lakes because of its strong operability and obvious effect of inactivating phosphorus. The development and application of inactivation materials are the cores of this technology. Many phosphorous inactivation materials have been developed around the world. This paper reviews the research on phosphorus inactivation materials in lake sediment, including the following aspect:(1) The basic characteristics and research status of inactivation materials commonly used; (2) The differences of inactivation effect between different materials; (3) The modification methods and inactivation mechanisms of different types of inactivation materials; (4) The effects of different environmental factors on the stability of inactivation materials; (5) The effect of pollution control and feasibility of the technology of in-situ chemical inactivation combined with other remediation technologies. According to the main research progress of the technology of phosphorus inactivation, the shortcomings of inactivation materials at present are put forward, and the future research direction and application prospect are expected.