X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) is a very powerful technique to investigate the local electronic and geometrical structure around the photoabsorber with the development of synchrotron radiation. In particular, its unique sensitivity to the local structure, as compared to x-ray diffraction (XRD) have been exploited for studying the gas, solution, or condensed matter. In this review, we report the principle and experimental method of XAFS and highlight recent applications on catalytic materials, energy materials, semiconductor materials and other hot fields of science research to help potential users in locating the spectrometer required for their materials science application. Finally, possible applications of XAFS are discussed according to the developing trend for XAFS method.