This research introduces a simple and effective method to enhance oxygen evolution reaction (OER) performance through surface reconstruction of metal substrates via hydration. A water treatment technique is employed to form a nanometer-thick hydroxide layer on Ni foam, which significantly improved OER activity compared to pristine Ni. To further explore catalyst performance on hydrated substrates, NiFe layered double hydroxide (LDH) is deposited, resulting in NiFe LDH@hydrated Ni foam achieving superior performance and exceptional stability, maintaining 1 A cm