Coal combustion will generate a large amount of fly ash,and how to efficiently utilize the industrial solid waste with high added value is still an urgent problem to be solved.Among the numerous methods of waste resource utilization,preparing alkali-activated cementitious materials is one of the effective ways to increase the added value of fly ash.The types and properties of fly ash are introduced,and the preparation and application of fly ash-based alkali-activated cementitious materials are summarized.In addition,the future development prospects of this field are also discussed.