Sulfide (CdS, ZnS, and SnS2)-coated polystyrene (PS) nanocomposites with a diameter of about 160 nm were synthesized by an in situ synthesis method. The PS spheres adsorbed polyelectrolytes, which were coordinated with Cd2+ and Zn2+ reacted with sulfions released through the hydrolysis of thioacetamide in an aqueous bath. As to the SnS2-coated PS composite, we introduced a deposition method in which a thin layer of SnS2 was deposited on the surface of PS spheres. The PS spheres assembled on the patterned substrate of porous aluminum oxide (PAO) were more regular than those on the nonpatterned microslide, so the PS spheres coated with US and ZnS composites were assembled into ordered arrays on the PAO substrate, respectively. And the obtained lambda(max) of CdS-coated PS colloid crystal array red-shifted 262 nm compared with that of the pure PS colloid crystal array. All the particles and colloid crystal arrays were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) was undertaken to determine the elements Cd, S, and Sn. (c) 2006 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.