Dissipative particle dynamics (DPD) is a mesoscopic simulation method which was first proposed in 1992 to study the properties of complex liquid. Because it involves hydrodynamics and behaves a higher calculating speed than other methods

now it has been one of the main simulation methods to research the hydrodynamic behaviors of complex liquid. This method has also become a bridge between the atomistic and macroscale level

and plays an important role in understanding the complex liquid properties. In this article

the developments of this simulation method and its applications during recent years have been fully reviewed. First

the improvements in these several years were summarized

and then the hot research areas were introduced in detail. As a computer experimental tool

this method can not only be used to predict the structure and properties of an equilibrium system

but also can be used to study the dynamics of a non-equilibrium process.