A new kind of initiator, 3-(2-bromo-2- methylacryloxy) propyltriethysiliane (MPTS-Br), was prepared with a simply hydrobrominated commercial silane coupling agent (3-methacryloxy-proplytriethysilane, MPTS). It has been one-step self-assemble onto the surface of attapulgite (ATP) nanorods in the dispersion system, and by using this initiator-modified nanorod (MPTS-Br-modified ATP nanoparticles, ATP-MPTS-Br) as macroinitiator for atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). Structurally well-defined homopolymer polystyrene (PS) and block polymer poly(styrene-b-methyl methacrylate) (PS-b-PMMA) chains were then grown from the needle-shaped nanorods surface to yield monodispersed nanorods composed of ATP core and thick-coated polymer shell (ATP and PS). The graft polymerization parameters exhibited the characteristics of a controlled/''living'' polymerization. The PS-grafted ATP nanorods could be dispersed well in organic solvent with nanoscale. (C) 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 122:2876-2883, 2011