Complexes of discotic liquid crystals would ideally possess the conductive properties of semiconductors and metals as well as the highly anisotropic mechanical, optical and structural properties of liquid crystals. High-resolution X-ray diffraction is used by the authors to study the structure of a liquid-crystalline conjugated phenylacetylene macrocycle doped with a silver salt. The results show that the silver ions are intercalated within the tubes, providing the first step towards the development of novel anisotropic liquid-crystalline ionic conductors.