In recent years, an emerging research area has been the surfactant behavior of polymer-tethered nano particles. In this feature article, we have provided a general introduction to the synthesis, self-assembly, and interfacial activity of polymer-tethered inorganic nanoparticles, polymer tethered organic nanoparticles, and polymer-tethered natural nanoparticles. In addition, applications of the polymer-tethered nanoparticles in colloidal and materials science are briefly reviewed. All research demonstrates that amphiphilic polymer tethered nanoparticles exhibit surfactant behavior and can be used as elemental building blocks for the fabrication of advanced structures by the self-assembly approach. The polymer-tethered nanoparticles provide new opportunities to engineer materials and biomaterials possessing specific functionality and physical properties.