Abstract: Since the 21st century, with the continuous improvement of people's attention to health issues, bacteria as one of the key factors affecting health, its drug resistance problem is becoming more and more serious due to the abuse of antibiotics, which poses a major threat to human life and health. Therefore, the research and development of antimicrobial agents is particularly important. Cerium dioxide nanoparticles(CeO₂ NPs), as a rare earth based inorganic antibacterial nanomaterials, has won wide attention in the antibacterial field due to its excellent antibacterial activity. This paper aims to systematically review the antibacterial mechanism of CeO₂ NPs, summarize the main synthesis methods, and the effects of its structure, morphology and size on antibacterial properties. On this basis, this paper summarizes the latest progress of new antibacterial composites formed by CeO₂ NPs and various inorganic and organic materials, and puts forward some suggestions for the future research of nano-cerium oxide antibacterial materials.