Hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) was studied on four types of alkaline leached cathodes (CoCuZn/C, CoCuZn-Pd/C, CoMnZn/C and CoMnZn-Pd/C) in 1 M KOH solution at 25 degrees C. Electrochemical characterization of these four cathodes was performed by energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and cyclic voltammetry (CV) methods. Their electrochemical activities have been examined by using current-potential curves, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and chronoamperometry (CA) methods. The results of the study exhibited that the catalytic activities of the cathodes toward HER depend on the porous structure and larger surface area of coatings. Synergistic effect between the metals also contributes to the catalytic performance of the cathodes, furthermore the prepared cathodes in the present work are good candidates for using in industrial water electrolysis. (C) 2018 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.