Asphaltene is the most associative component in crude oil and residual oil.Asphaltene can easily aggregate with each other through charge transfer,hydrogen bond and dipole interaction.Asphaltene may congregate and settle when external conditions or composition change,which poses a challenge to the petroleum industry.Asphaltene dispersants can effectively inhibit the agglomeration of asphaltene.In this paper,the research progress of asphaltene dispersants is reviewed from the aspects of asphaltene structure,dispersant types and dispersant mechanism,and the future development trend of asphaltene dispersants is analyzed.