In this study, the ternary-component nickel-zinc-iron layered double hydroxides (NixZny Fe-z-LDHs) were synthesized by co-precipitation process and characterized using scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, diffuse reflectance spectroscopy and atomic absorption spectroscopy. The NixZnyFez-LDHs were then used as the efficient electrocatalyst materials to fabricate the modified carbon paste electrodes (CPEs) for water oxidation in neutral media. The effect of Zn2+ ions on the electrocatalytic activity of the ternary-component NixZnyFez-LDHs modified CPE was studied under suggested optimum condition. In this condition, the ternary-component Ni2Zn0.5Fe-LDH modified CPE displayed improved electrocatalytic activity in comparison with other ternary-component LDHs, and also binary-component LDHs, Ni2Fe-LDH and ZnFe-LDH modified CPEs due to high crystallinity and low band gap energy which enhanced the conductivity of the synthesized LDH. Furthermore, the ternary-component Ni2Zn0.5Fe-LDH modified CPE had good structural stability with no significant deactivation of the electrocatalytic properties in neutral media after 13 h oxygen evolution reaction at room temperature. (C) 2017 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.