An effective hybrid electrocatalyst for the alkaline HER: Highly dispersed Pt sites immobilized by a functionalized NiRu-hydroxide

•NiRu-LDH can be transformed into a partial amorphous NiRu-OH during OER process.•The NiRu-OH as a functionalized matrix can effectively immobilize single Pt atoms.•The immobilization method guarantees the operation stability under HER potential.•The hybrid catalyst with rational design is proven to be effective toward HER in alkaline media.•This material and method challenge the immobilization of single Pt atoms on Ni-based hydroxide.