Nuclear magnetic resonance(NMR) is one of the most commonly used analytical methods for determination of molecular structure,while diffusion ordered spectroscopy(DOSY) expands the ability of NMR for analysis of complex mixtures.DOSY could “virtually separate” those chemical entities presenting in a multi-component system by measuring the self diffusion coefficient of the component,which reflect the effective size and shape of molecules.Furthermore,DOSY could also provide specific information on molecular size,molecular weight,intermolecular interaction and aggregation state.the basic principles of DOSY experiments,the development of pulse sequences and the application progress of DOSY in related research fields are summarized in this article.Firstly,the development and application characteristics of pulsed field gradient and pulse sequences are briefly described,then the research progresses of DOSY in identifying mixture components,measuring molecular size and molecular weight distribution,and characterizing intermolecular forces are introduced.The wide applications of DOSY in chemistry,pharmacy,food,biology and other fields are exhibited by citing examples.