Appropriately dispersed CdS nanoparticles were intimately embedded into titanate nanosheets (TNS) through ion-exchange and in situ sulfurization process. The sheet-like intermediates of titanate during the transforming process into nanotubes were firstly used as substrate for the decoration of CdS nanoparticles, and the synthesis route was achieved by ion-exchange process between titanate precursor and Cd2' ions solution, and the following sulfuration process by using Na2S solutions. The catalytic activity of the photocatalyst was investigated by photodegradation of Rhodamine B under visible light irradiation. With an optimal Cd/Ti molar ratio of 15%, the CdS/TNS composite exhibits the highest photocatalytic performance, which is approximately 5.4 times greater than that of pure INS. The mechanism of the separation behavior of the photogenerated charges was also discussed. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.