New electrode materials prepared by an ion-plating-like technique were characterized for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in 1 M ROH at 25 degrees C. The device used allows a metallic deposition under glow-discharge conditions simultaneously with an ionic bombardment of argon. The electrodes were tested by steady-state polarization and ac impedance techniques for two deposited metals : Ni and Pd. It has been found that the HER mechanism proceeds via the Volmer-Heyrovsky pathway. Furthermore the morphology of the coating and the electrochemical behavior of the electrodes were linked to both the amount and the nature of the deposited catalytic material.