Nickel electrodes are widely used in industrial water electrolysis cells for electrochemical production of hydrogen. To avoid extensive deactivation problems and enhance the efficiency of the electrolyser cathode, in this work in situ activation is proposed using ionic activator (i.a.) based on combination of three d-metals: Zn, Co and Mo. Polarization curves, obtained at different temperatures (303-343 K), reveal that the addition of ZnCoMo based La. did not change reaction mechanism when compared to the HER mechanism on nickel cathode in standard electrolyte. The electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurements were employed to further investigate the origin of obtained electrocatalytic effect on the HER. The morphology of obtained coatings was examined by scanning electron microscopy. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.