A nanocomposite, D201-CdS, made by depositing CdS nanoparticles on a resin support (D201) was found to be a promising photocatalyst with visible light response. To elucidate the structure-activity relationship, a set of D201-CdS nanocomposites varying in CdS amount and distribution were prepared by adjusting the concentration of sulfide anion and the precipitation time. The maximum compressive strength of the nanocomposites increased first with the loading of CdS and then declined with the further increase of CdS. There was a valid shell thickness of CdS due to the limitation of visible light in penetration through the resin matrix. Within a certain range of shell thickness, the increase of shell density of CdS would be favorable for the purpose of photodegradation. The shell density could be easily tuned by adjusting the fabrication condition employed in this work, which is an important merit for the potential production and application. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.