80+ Chemistry Dissertation Topics for 2025: Research Ideas

Writing your chemistry dissertation might feel like a big task, but picking the right topic is half the battle won. Whether you’re into organic reactions or analytical techniques, your choice of topic can shape the entire tone and direction of your work. Below are fresh, focused, and meaningful dissertation topics across various areas of chemistry. Each is designed to spark interest and offer room for deep research.

Organic Chemistry Topics

• Recent advances in C–H bond activation and functionalisation
• Exploring metal-free organocatalysis in green synthesis
• Stereoselective synthesis of chiral pharmaceutical intermediates
• Investigating photoredox catalysis for sustainable organic reactions
• Applications of click chemistry in drug delivery systems
• Organic frameworks in pollutant capture: synthesis and performance
• Role of pericyclic reactions in modern total synthesis
• Bioorthogonal chemistry in live-cell labelling studies
• Enantioselective synthesis of natural product derivatives
• Designing organic compounds for photovoltaic applications

Inorganic Chemistry Topics

• Molecular magnetism in lanthanide coordination complexes
• Role of transition metal complexes in carbon dioxide reduction
• Exploring the structure and bonding of metal-organic cages
• Mechanistic insights into catalytic water splitting using metal oxides
• Bioinorganic chemistry of iron-sulphur clusters in proteins
• Design and synthesis of N-heterocyclic carbene ligands
• Supramolecular interactions in inorganic crystal engineering
• Polyoxometalates in oxidation catalysis: synthesis and utility
• Investigating halide perovskites in solar cell technologies
• Metal complexes as anti-cancer agents: synthesis and evaluation

Physical Chemistry Topics

• Reaction kinetics in confined microenvironments
• Surface chemistry of catalysts in low-temperature reactions
• Theoretical models of hydrogen bonding in liquids
• Spectroscopic analysis of excited-state dynamics in molecules
• Thermodynamic modelling of battery materials
• Time-resolved fluorescence studies in protein folding
• Investigating non-covalent interactions using IR spectroscopy
• Entropy and molecular motion in confined systems
• Quantum tunnelling in low-temperature chemical reactions
• Adsorption thermodynamics in carbon-based nanomaterials

Analytical Chemistry Topics

• Portable electrochemical sensors for real-time environmental monitoring
• Applications of LC-MS/MS in forensic toxicology
• Chemometric techniques in food quality assessment
• Development of biosensors for early disease detection
• Nanomaterial-enhanced detection systems for heavy metals
• Raman spectroscopy in drug authentication and quality control
• Non-invasive analysis techniques for museum artefacts
• Environmental microplastics: detection and quantification strategies
• Analytical validation of home-use diagnostic kits
• Isotope ratio mass spectrometry in archaeological dating

Environmental Chemistry Topics

• Assessing the fate of pharmaceuticals in wastewater treatment
• Degradation pathways of plasticisers in soil and water
• Role of biochar in heavy metal remediation
• Chemical profiling of urban air pollutants using passive samplers
• Environmental impact of flame retardants in electronics
• Photocatalytic degradation of pesticides in water systems
• Green synthesis of adsorbents for pollutant removal
• Climate-active gases: chemical mechanisms and detection methods
• Modelling chemical pathways of nitrogen oxides in the atmosphere
• Persistent organic pollutants: distribution and chemical behaviour

Medicinal & Pharmaceutical Chemistry Topics

• Drug repurposing through structure-activity relationship (SAR) analysis
• Peptide-based inhibitors for viral enzyme targets
• Fragment-based drug design in oncology
• Investigating the stability of monoclonal antibodies under stress
• Computational prediction of ADMET properties in lead compounds
• Synthesis and evaluation of prodrugs for targeted therapy
• Covalent inhibitors in modern drug discovery
• Role of fluorine in enhancing drug efficacy and bioavailability
• Natural product analogues in antimicrobial drug development
• Analytical profiling of impurities in generic pharmaceuticals

Materials Chemistry Topics

• Conductive polymers for flexible electronics
• Solid-state electrolytes for next-generation batteries
• Responsive hydrogels for controlled drug release
• Nano-coatings for corrosion resistance in extreme environments
• Hybrid materials in fuel cell technologies
• Photonic crystals in chemical sensing
• Functional coatings with antimicrobial properties
• Materials for carbon capture and storage applications
• Self-healing polymer networks: synthesis and performance
• Organic-inorganic hybrids for smart textiles

Green & Sustainable Chemistry Topics

• Solvent-free synthetic pathways for industrial processes
• Use of biomass-derived feedstocks in chemical manufacturing
• Biodegradable surfactants: synthesis and environmental profile
• Photocatalytic systems for water purification
• Recycling rare earth elements from electronic waste
• Catalytic depolymerisation of plastic waste
• Green metrics in industrial chemical synthesis
• Solar-driven organic synthesis: opportunities and challenges
• Development of safer alternatives to conventional solvents
• Life cycle assessment of green chemistry practices

Final Note

Every topic listed above aims to offer something fresh, practical, and research-ready. Take your time to read through, shortlist a few options, and discuss them with your supervisor. If a topic excites you and aligns with your academic goals, that’s likely the one worth pursuing.

Still undecided? Think about the chemical problems that spark your curiosity — chances are there’s a great dissertation idea hiding there.