By a simple and economical sol-gel and spin-coating technique, fine quality Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS) thin films were formed on flexible molybdenum foils. The CZTS thin films annealed at 500 degrees C possessed good compositional, morphological, structural, optical and electrical properties for solar cells. The best flexible solar cell with a structure of Mo foil/CZTS/CdS/ZnO/AZO/A1 exhibited a power conversion efficiency of 2.25%, with short circuit current density of 13.52 mA/cm(2), open circuit voltage of 370 mV and fill factor of 0.45. Meanwhile, the PV performances of the flexible CZTS-based solar cell on molybdenum foil were investigated in detail. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.