A cost-effective chemical approach is developed for the synthesis of photoelectrochemically active Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS) thin films. More specifically, CZTS precursor thin films are prepared by the sequential deposition of Cu2SnS3 and ZnS layers using a successive ionic adsorption and reaction (SILAR) technique. The CZTS precursor thin films are sulfurized at different temperatures ranging from 500 to 575 degrees C at intervals of 25 degrees C. The influence of different sulfurization temperatures on the structural, compositional, morphological, and optical properties, as well as on the photoelectrochemical performance is studied. The films sulfurized at 575 degrees C showed a prominent kesterite phase with a nearly stoichiometric composition, dense microstructure with the desired thickness, and an optical band gap energy of 1.47 eV. The photoelectrochemical (PEC) cell fabricated using CZTS thin film sulfurized at 575 degrees C showed the highest short circuit current density (J(SC)) of 8.27 mA/cm(2) with a power conversion efficiency (eta) of 1.06%. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.