Atomically dispersed precursor for preparing a non-platinum group metal electrocatalyst

An atomically dispersed precursor (ADP) for preparing a non-platinum group metal electrocatalyst includes: sacrificial metal centers comprising a sacrificial metal selected from Cd and Zn; metal active sites comprising a transition metal; and first and second ligands linking the sacrificial metal centers and the metal active sites into a network. The ADP may be immobilized on a carbon support. The first and second ligands may comprise N-containing ligands of different carbon chain lengths. Alternatively, the first and second ligands may comprise N-containing ligands and O-containing ligands, respectively.