<p>The escalating global demand for freshwater necessitates the development of efficient and sustainable desalination technologies. This study presents an experimental and theoretical evaluation of a solar desalination pond enhanced with nano-ferric oxide (Fe₂O₃) plates and compares its performance with a conventional steel-based system. Incorporation of Fe₂O₃ significantly improved solar absorption and thermal conduction, resulting in a maximum brine temperature of 74&#xa0;°C compared with 68&#xa0;°C for the conventional configuration. The modified system achieved a maximum daily freshwater productivity of 6.5&#xa0;L m⁻² day⁻¹, corresponding to an average improvement of 27–30% based on daily mean productivity over comparable operating days, while instantaneous hourly productivity gains reached up to 60% under peak summer solar irradiance conditions. Maximum thermal and exergy efficiencies increased from 0.41 to 0.53 and from 5.9% to 7.8%, respectively. The developed heat and mass transfer model exhibited strong agreement with experimental results (R² ≈ 0.985, deviation &lt; ± 3.1%). These findings demonstrate that nano-ferric oxide is a low-cost, environmentally benign, and scalable enhancement material capable of significantly improving the performance of solar desalination systems, offering a viable pathway for sustainable freshwater production in arid and resource-limited regions.</p>