Abstract: It has been proved that the fatigue performance of the material could be improved by constructing a gradient nanostructure layer on the substrate with large original grain size.The preparation process of surface nanocrystallization technology was introduced to describe its characteristics.Subsequently, the results on the fatigue performance of gradient nanostructure materials under different preparation processes and different alternating stress states were summarized.Simultaneously, the influence of gradient nanostructure layer on the fatigue properties was analyzed.Compared with the coating prepared on the surface of the metal materials directly, the fatigue performance of the coating after surface nanocrystallization improves.Finally, the thermal stability of gradient nanostructure materials was analyzed, and the theoretical methods for improving the thermal stability were summarized, which can provide reference for further improvement of high temperature fatigue performance.