Both amorphous and polycrystalline films of the aromatic hydrocarbon perylene are found to accept as high as one lithium per 3.3 +/- 0.1 carbon atoms. Phases composed of stoichiometric compounds with two, four and six lithium atoms per molecule are observed. The intercalation involves a substantial charge transfer from the lithium atoms to the molecules. Moreover, a high binding energy of the dopant-induced valence band electronic states is observed by photoelectron spectroscopy. Those observations suggest a high energy storage capacity for small- and medium-size aromatic hydrocarbons and their potential use in batteries. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.