Nanomaterials in solar still: recent advances and future perspectives

Abstract Access to clean and safe drinking water remains a global challenge, particularly in remote and coastal regions where freshwater sources are scarce or contaminated by seawater. Solar stills have emerged as an eco-friendly and sustainable solution to address these challenges by harnessing plentiful solar energy for water distillation. Despite its potential, the widespread adoption of solar still has been hindered by low productivity and intermittent sunlight throughout the day. To overcome these barriers, researchers worldwide have explored a wide array of performance enhancements in active and passive solar still modifications, as well as design modifications to the integration of fins, nanocoatings, and phase-change materials (PCM). This review explores the application of nanomaterials in both active and passive solar stills. It highlights recent advancements, outlines current challenges, and identifies key areas for future research. The integration of nanotechnology into solar stills holds significant promise for enhancing the efficiency of water purification systems, thereby contributing to sustainable solutions for global water scarcity issues.