Understanding the structure of a functional catalyst is crucial to disclosing the complexity of heterogeneous processes and improving their efficiency. Herein, coprecipitated cobalt−ceria (CoCeO x ) oxides doped with Ir (IrCoCeO x ) were synthesized and used to assess the performances of metal/ oxide interfaces in the N 2 H 4 •H 2 O decomposition performed in aqueous NaOH. Kinetic experiments in batch showed that CoO is the active phase of CoCeO x and that the copresence of Ir and Co (IrCoCeO x ) enhanced H 2 productivity. A comprehensive characterization (X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray absorption spectroscopy, and in situ diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy) combined with robust computational modeling based on the density functional theory was employed to attribute the IrCoCeO x performance enhancement to the Ir/CoO metal/oxide interface, the active site of the reaction. On these sites, the improved H 2 productivity in the presence of aqueous NaOH was studied operando through modulated excitation-attenuated total reflectance infrared coupled with phase sensitive detection. The formation of surface Co-hydroxyl and -imido groups at the Ir/CoO interface induced the preferential breakage of the N−H bond of N 2 H 4 •H 2 O, favoring the production of H 2 .