Bimetallic palladium-decorated gold nanoparticle (Pd/Au NP) catalysts are significantly more active than palladium-only catalysts, but the mechanism for enhancement is not completely clear for most reactions, like the aqueous-phase hydrodechlorination of trichloroethene. In this study, we conducted X-ray absorption spectroscopy on carbon-supported Pd/Au NPs to obtain information about the local atomic environment (i.e., oxidation states, coordination numbers, and bond distances) of the two metals under different treatment conditions. The as-synthesized NPs were confirmed to have a Pd-shell/Au-core nanostructure, in which the Pd was found as surface ensembles. Upon exposure to room temperature in air, a portion of the Pd, but not the Au, was oxidized. In comparison, nearly the entire surface of monometallic Pd NPs was oxidized, suggesting that Au in Pd/Au NPs imparts oxidation resistance to Pd atoms. The surface Pd was found randomly distributed, presumably as a PdAu surface alloy, after reduction at 300 degrees C. X-ray absorption spectroscopy provides direct evidence for the Pd-shell/Au-core structure of Pd/Au NPs, and suggests that metallic Pd in the Pd/Au NPs is a source for higher catalytic activity for aqueous-phase trichloroethene hydrodechlorination. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.