Hydrogen generation by the reaction of pure Al powder in water with the addition of Al(OH)(3), gamma-Al2O3, alpha-Al2O3, or TiO2 at mild temperatures was investigated. It was found that the reaction of Al with water is promoted and the reaction induction time decreases greatly by the above hydroxide and oxides. X-ray diffraction analyses revealed that the hydroxide and oxide phases have no any change during the Al-water reaction, indicating that they are just as catalysts to assist the reaction of Al with water. A possible mechanism was proposed, which shows that hydroxide and oxides could dissociate water molecules and promote the hydration of the passive oxide film on Al particle surfaces. Copyright (c) 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.