A series of novel crown ether-containing photochromic comb-shaped liquid crystalline polyacrylates with different macromolecular structure of side groups were synthesized and investigated. Phase behavior, optical and photo-optical properties of thin spin-coated films of these polymers were studied. A special attention was paid to a comparative study of the photo-orientation phenomena occurring in the polymer films under a polarized light action. It was shown that complex formation with the potassium ions results in the decrease in degree of the photoinduced order that can be used for the creation of new materials for sensor devices. (C) 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 49: 625-633, 2011