A method for forming a poly(aryl ether sulfone) ("PAES") polymer, the method comprising reacting a first monomer and a second monomer in a reaction mixture, wherein either the first monomer is a diphenol represented by the formula: HO-M A -OH and the second monomer is a diarylether containing a sulfone represented by the formula: A 1 -O-M B -O-A 2, or the first and second monomer, identical or different, are selected from the group consisting of formulae: A 1 -O-M B -O-M A -OH, A 1 -O-A 2 -SO 2 -M A -OH and HO-M A -O-M B -O-M A -OH, wherein - M A is represented by the formula: wherein each R 1 is independently selected from the group consisting of an alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, aryl, ether, thioether, carboxylic acid, ester, amide, imide, alkali or alkaline earth metal sulfonate, alkyl sulfonate, alkali or alkaline earth metal phosphonate, alkyl phosphonate, amine and quaternary ammonium; each i is an independently selected integer from 0 to 4; and Z is a bond, ―SO 2 - or ―C(CH 3) 2 -; - M B is represented by the formula: where each R 2 is independently selected from the group consisting of an alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, aryl, ether, thioether, carboxylic acid, ester, amide, imide, alkali or alkaline earth metal sulfonate, alkyl sulfonate, alkali or alkaline earth metal phosphonate, alkyl phosphonate, amine and quaternary ammonium; - A 1 and A 2 are represented by the following formulae, respectively: where each R 3 and R 4 is independently selected from the group consisting of a halogen, an alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, aryl, ether, thioether, carboxylic acid, ester, amide, imide, alkali or alkaline earth metal sulfonate, alkyl sulfonate, alkali or alkaline earth metal phosphonate, alkyl phosphonate, amine and quaternary ammonium; and - each j is an independently selected integer from 0 to 4 wherein the reaction mixture comprises a base, wherein the total base concentration is from 0.0001 to 0.2, relative to the total number of moles of monomer derived -OH groups in the reaction mixture. the first monomer is a diphenol represented by the formula: HO-M A -OH and the second monomer is a diarylether containing a sulfone represented by the formula: A 1 -O-M B -O-A 2, or the first and second monomer, identical or different, are selected from the group consisting of formulae: A 1 -O-M B -O-M A -OH, A 1 -O-A 2 -SO 2 -M A -OH and HO-M A -O-M B -O-M A -OH, wherein - M A is represented by the formula: wherein each R 1 is independently selected from the group consisting of an alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, aryl, ether, thioether, carboxylic acid, ester, amide, imide, alkali or alkaline earth metal sulfonate, alkyl sulfonate, alkali or alkaline earth metal phosphonate, alkyl phosphonate, amine and quaternary ammonium; each i is an independently selected integer from 0 to 4; and Z is a bond, ―SO 2 - or ―C(CH 3) 2 -; - M B is represented by the formula: where each R 2 is independently selected from the group consisting of an alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, aryl, ether, thioether, carboxylic acid, ester, amide, imide, alkali or alkaline earth metal sulfonate, alkyl sulfonate, alkali or alkaline earth metal phosphonate, alkyl phosphonate, amine and quaternary ammonium; - A 1 and A 2 are represented by the following formulae, respectively: where each R 3 and R 4 is independently selected from the group consisting of a halogen, an alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, aryl, ether, thioether, carboxylic acid, ester, amide, imide, alkali or alkaline earth metal sulfonate, alkyl sulfonate, alkali or alkaline earth metal phosphonate, alkyl phosphonate, amine and quaternary ammonium; and - each j is an independently selected integer from 0 to 4 wherein the reaction mixture comprises a base, wherein the total base concentration is from 0.0001 to 0.2, relative to the total number of moles of monomer derived -OH groups in the reaction mixture. - M A is represented by the formula: wherein each R 1 is independently selected from the group consisting of an alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, aryl, ether, thioether, carboxylic acid, ester, amide, imide, alkali or alkaline earth metal sulfonate, alkyl sulfonate, alkali or alkaline earth metal phosphonate, alkyl phosphonate, amine and quaternary ammonium; each i is an independently selected integer from 0 to 4; and Z is a bond, ―SO 2 - or ―C(CH 3) 2 -; - M B is represented by the formula: where each R 2 is independently selected from the group consisting of an alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, aryl, ether, thioether, carboxylic acid, ester, amide, imide, alkali or alkaline earth metal sulfonate, alkyl sulfonate, alkali or alkaline earth metal phosphonate, alkyl phosphonate, amine and quaternary ammonium; - A 1 and A 2 are represented by the following formulae, respectively: where each R 3 and R 4 is independently selected from the group consisting of a halogen, an alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, aryl, ether, thioether, carboxylic acid, ester, amide, imide, alkali or alkaline earth metal sulfonate, alkyl sulfonate, alkali or alkaline earth metal phosphonate, alkyl phosphonate, amine and quaternary ammonium; and - each j is an independently selected integer from 0 to 4