Recent advances on enhancing the solar distillation systems through the condensate-side

Solar distillation has attracted widespread attention as an environmentally friendly and easy-to-operate water treatment technology. While significant research efforts have been devoted to optimizing the structural design of solar stills and improving photothermal conversion efficiency, relatively limited attention has been paid to the enhancement of the condensation process. The low condensation efficiency often results in a substantial gap between the actual water collection rate and the theoretical yield or evaporation rate. We review current strategies and mechanisms for enhancing condensation in solar stills and analyse their critical role in the overall performance of solar distillation systems. Key topics include surface design strategies for condensation, optimization of surface wettability, the impact of micro/nanostructures on condensation efficiency, as well as structural innovations and the integration of advanced cooling technologies to enhance condensation. Furthermore, we examine the balance between enhanced condensation and evaporation processes based on the internal heat and mass transfer dynamics of the distillation system. Finally, we recommend that future research on solar distillation systems focus on the integration of efficient passive and active cooling technologies, bioinspired micro/nanostructured designs, hybrid wettability surface engineering, modular system architectures, and AI-assisted optimization. These strategies aim to enhance condensation efficiency, system flexibility, and environmental adaptability, ultimately enabling the development of high-performance, intelligent, and sustainable solar distillation solutions.