Abstract: Magnesium oxysulfate whisker has many advantages including high elasticity modulus，inflaming retarding，low mass and cost，safety and low energy consumption，as well as wide applicability.This whisker is in line with the development needs of energy saving and environmental protection，utilizing the resources efficiently，and it has broad application prospects in multiple fields.The characteristics，main application fields，phase composition，and growth mechanism of magnesium oxysulfate whisker were summarized，and the advances in the preparation and modification of it were introduced emphatically.The study of improving the synthetic process of this whisker，and optimizing its internal structure have been the breakthrough points of the application technology of magnesium oxysulfate whisker，so as to improve its properties and broaden its application fields.

Key words: magnesium sulfate, magnesium oxide, whisker, modification