A metal-free purple H_2Pc single crystal was synthesized by a facile solvothermal method, and its solubility and near-infrared(NIR) optical properties were also investigated due to its potential applications as a light-emitting layer for OLEDs. The H_2Pc single crystal is insoluble in 1-chlorine naphthalene and other organic solvents. It gives a wide absorption in the range from 620 nm to 679 nm and a wide emission in near 922 nm. As an active light-emitting layer, H_2Pc was employed to fabricate electroluminescent(EL) devices with a structure of ITO/NPB(30 nm)/Alq3:H_2Pc(30 nm)/BCP(20 nm)/Alq3(20 nm)/Al. The emission center is at 936 nm when the H_2Pc doping concentration is 20 wt%. The doping concentration strongly governs the emission intensity. When doping concentration decreases from 10 wt% to 1 wt%, the emission intensity remarkably fades, and simultaneously the emission center undergoes a blue shift. A metal-free purple H_2Pc single crystal was synthesized by a facile solvothermal method, and its solubility and near-infrared (NIR) optical properties were also investigated due to its potential applications as a light-emitting layer for OLEDs. The H_2Pc single crystal is insoluble in 1-chlorine naphthalene and other organic solvents. It gives a wide absorption in the range from 620 nm to 679 nm and a wide emission in near 922 nm. As an active light-emitting layer, H_2Pc was employed to fabricate electroluminescent EL ) devices with a structure of ITO / NPB (30 nm) / Alq3: H 2 Pc (30 nm) / BCP (20 nm) / Alq3 The doping concentration strongly governs the emission intensity. When doping concentration decreases from 10 wt% to 1 wt%, the emission intensity remarkably fades, and simultaneously the emission center undergoes a blue shift.