Abstract: Liquid lead-bismuth alloy is a potential coolant for the fourth-generation nuclear energy system due to its excellent physical and chemical properties, neutron economy and safety. However, reactor materials become brittle and fail due to physical and chemical interaction when they directly contact lead-bismuth alloy, which limits the application and design of coolants in advanced nuclear reactors. Therefore, studying the corrosion mechanism of lead-bismuth alloys on structural materials and solving the problem of compatibility between structural materials and liquid lead-bismuth are crucial for the development of advanced nuclear reactors. The corrosion mechanism, corrosion environment and surface protection technology of the strutural materials in lead-bismuth alloy in recent years were reviewed. Additionally, the main methods to inhibit the corrosion of liquid lead-bismuth alloy were summarized. Finally, the latest coating technologies such as alloy coating, ceramic coating and high entropy alloy coating, which are expected to be applied to the structural materials of cooling systems, were discussed. It is proven that coating technology is an effective way to solve the corrosion problem of the next-generation advanced reactor.