Polyacrylamide (PAM) -HgS nanocomposites were successfully prepared in polyacrylamide (PAM) matrix. From TEM and XRD characterizations, the synthesized HgS nanocrystals were chain-like spherical in shape with a diameter of about 40-60 nm and high crystalline quality. The quantum-confined effect of HgS nanocrystals was confirmed by UV-vis diffuse reflection spectra. The optical properties of products were investigated by using photoluminescence (PL) spectra, which showed that HgS nanocrystals exhibited good optical properties with maximum emission peak at about 640 and 650 nm at different reaction temperatures. The interaction of HgS nanocrystals with PAM was studied through FT-IR spectroscopy and TG analysis, which suggested that $Hg^{2+}$ could interact with functional groups of PAM. The experimental results indicated that PAM not only induced nucleation, but also inhibited further growth of HgS crystals and play an important role in the formation of PAM/HgS nanocomposites. In addition, the possible mechanism of HgS nanoparticles growth in PAM solution was also discussed.