We are delighted to present this special themed topic of Chinese Journal of Polymer Science(CJPS)devoted to the recent advances in reversible deactivation radical polymerization(RDRP).RDRP has been widely recognized as one of the most important synthetic methods for polymers,allowing access to well-defined polymeric materials with predictable molecular weight,controlled dispersity,and tailor-made architecture.Since its discovery,RDRP has been rapidly evolving and has revolutionized the field of polymer science and materials.Now,there is strong active research interest in polymerization external regulation,polymerization-induced self-assembly,high-throughput synthesis,and creation of new functional materials for various applications.This themed topic is a demonstration of the latest development in this highly dynamic area.The collection is composed of 2 feature articles,2 review articles and 5 regular articles,focusing on the development of photoflow-RDRP,oxygen-initiated reversible addition-fragmentation transfer(RAFT),photoinitiated polymerization-induced self-assembly(photo-PISA),reversible chain transfer catalyzed polymerization(RTCP)to synthesize and modify different polymers,such as biomolecules/polymer hybrids,PVDF-based fluoropolymer,recyclable poly(dithioacetal)s and so on.