Polyvinylidene difluoride composite fibers with uniformly dispersed barium titanate particles were synthesized via an electrospinning technique. The β-phase contents were enhanced in the PVDF matrix with the incorporation of BTO particles. The highest β-phase enhancement ~ 84.5% was achieved at a BTO:PVDF mass ratio of 1:0.6. PVDF-fiber-based PENG yielded an open-circuit voltage ≈10.3 V at 50 MΩ load resistance, a current density ≈0.206 mA/m2 (at RL = 10 MΩ), and a maximum power density ≈1.27 mWm−2. However, BaTiO3 particles incorporation into PVDF fibers has significantly enhanced the piezoelectric performance. The 1:0.6 mass ratio composite-fiber-based PENG achieved an open-circuit voltage ≈22.4 V (at RL = 70 MΩ), a short-circuit current density ≈0.4 mAm−2 (at RL = 10 MΩ), and a power density ≈4.48 mWm−2. The composite piezoelectric nanogenerator (PENG) successfully illuminated multiple LEDs and charged a 10 µF capacitor via a rectifier circuit, which was subsequently used to power a digital hygrometer. Although, PVDF/BaTiO₃ composite fibers have been extensively explored for PENG applications, there are still several essential gaps that exist, including insufficient optimization of β-phase formation, poor dispersion, and weak interfacial interaction of BaTiO₃ particles within the PVDF matrix that can be explored to enhanced the performance of PENGs used in portable electronics.
