A simple and environmentally friendly method, based on sequential adsorption of polyacrylamide (PAM) and transition metal ions (Pd 2+ , Ag + ) on zinc oxide precipitated from water solution, was used to synthesize supported mono-and bimetallic catalysts with various Pd:Ag ratios. The catalyst characterization results indicated that PAM and metal ions are completely adsorbed by zinc oxide, forming polymer-stabilized Pd and Ag nanoparticles of 1-3 nm in size, evenly distributed on the support surface. The catalysts were studied in the hydrogenation of phenylacetylene under mild conditions (0.1 MPa, 40°C). Although Ag-free 1%Pd-PAM/ZnO catalyst presents an interesting catalytic performance (in terms of activity and selectivity), the optimal catalyst was 1%Pd-Ag(3:1)-PAM/ZnO, presenting a selectivity to styrene of 88% at 85.4% conversion of phenylacetylene. For comparison, similar Pd-Ag (3:1) bimetallic catalysts modified with polysaccharides such as pectin (Pec), chitosan (Chit) and 2-hydroxyethylcellulose (HEC) were studied in the hydrogenation process. The catalysts demonstrated nearly the same selectivity to styrene. The activity of the catalysts decreases in the following order: 1%Pd-Ag(3:1)-HEC/ZnO > 1%Pd-Ag(3:1)-PAM/ZnO > 1%Pd-Ag(3:1)-Pec/ZnO > 1%Pd-Ag(3:1)-Chit/ZnO.