Improving the performance of solar drying systems through phase change energy storage and AI-based optimization techniques: trends and applications

Solar drying is a sustainable approach for reducing post-harvest agricultural losses and energy consumption. The integration of phase change materials (PCM) and artificial intelligence (AI) into this system is of great significance for improving drying performance, energy efficiency, and sustainability. Based on 443 relevant publications from 2015 to 2025, this study employed VOSviewer and Bibliometrix for bibliometric analysis and combined this approach with a systematic review to summarize research progress on AI and PCM in solar drying. The results showed that the field had an average annual publication growth rate of 35.15%, reflecting a coupled development trend toward energy storage and intelligent technologies. AI models have been applied to accurate prediction, intelligent control, quality monitoring, and energy efficiency optimization of drying processes. However, their performance is affected by data scale, task type, real-time requirements, and deployment conditions. Sustainable PCM, together with their supporting materials and functional additives, can promote the synergistic development of efficient thermal storage and environmental–economic benefits, with enhancement mechanisms involving interfacial interactions, capillary adsorption, the construction of thermally conductive networks, and heterogeneous nucleation. In addition, this review further expanded the discussion of AI-assisted coordinated PCM charging and discharging, advanced AI applications, 4E assessment mechanisms, techno-economic and environmental analyzes, and long-term field-testing cases. Finally, this study identified the main challenges currently facing this field and provided future perspectives. This review can provide a reference for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers and may contribute to the development of low-carbon, efficient, cost-effective, and sustainable solar drying technologies.