Highly ordered ZIF-8-derived carbon material NPC@ZnO was obtained by high-temperature pyrolysis under N 2 atmosphere using ZIF-8 as a sacrificial template. The P-NPC@ZnO was successfully produced by surface modification with phosphoric acid treatment and the introduction of P elements. The adsorption performance of P-NPC@ZnO and control NPC@ZnO on Lu 3+ was investigated using lutetium(III) as the adsorbent. The successful preparation of the materials was confirmed by FT-IR, XRD, SEM, TGA, BET, Raman and XPS characterization methods, and the adsorption type and mechanism of the adsorbent materials were analyzed, and finally the regenerative use performance as well as the selective performance of the adsorbents were investigated. The results showed that the adsorption performance of P-NPC@ZnO material for Lu 3+ was remarkable under the optimal conditions, and the maximum adsorption amount could reach 230.21 mg g −1 , which was twice as much as that of NPC@ZnO material. The experimental data were fitted to show that the rate-limiting step is controlled by surface adsorption, and lutetium(III) forms a single molecular layer adsorption with the adsorption sites on the surface of the adsorbent material. The P-NPC@ZnO material has good stability and regeneration performance and is selective for lutetium ions.