Abstract: The design of efficientelectrocatalystfor the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is crucial for advancing the practical applications of metal-air batteries and fuel cells. Diatomic catalysts (DACs) have attracted considerable interest due to their synergistic active sites, which significantly enhance the electrocatalytic ORR performance in terms of activity, selectivity, and stability.However, the exact mechanism through which these DACs achieve such synergistic enhancement remains inadequately understood.The recent advances in DACs for ORR are reviewed, with a focus on the regulation strategies that enhance catalytic performance, including the bifunctional synergistic mechanism, geometric effects, and electronic effects. These insights provide valuable guidance for the atomic-level design of efficient DACs. Furthermore, future opportunities and challenges for DACs in ORR electrocatalysis are discussed.

Key words: diatomic catalyst, oxygen reduction reaction, electrocatalysis, synergy, regulation strategy