Nature Catalysis, Published online: 30 July 2026; doi:10.1038/s41929-026-01585-w NiMo-based catalysts exhibit excellent activity for the hydrogen evolution reaction in alkaline electrolytes, but achieving high stability remains a challenge. Now a synthetic strategy is presented to prepare highly active and stable Ni/MoO2 cathode catalysts for anion-exchange membrane water electrolysis.