Many different proton-conducting polymeric materials have been developed for polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). The development of perfluorosulfonic acid-based, polymer electrolyte membranes (PFSA-PEMs) was followed by aromatic hydrocarbon-based PEMs (HC-PEMs), which allow for tailored design and optimization of their molecular structures. Although many new PFSA-PEMs and HC-PEMs have shown promising proton conductivity and thermal stability, chemical degradation of these materials in an oxidizing environment remains a significant technical barrier in PEMFC development. Here, we used accelerated degradation tests and electronic structure analysis to examine the chemical stability of sulfonated poly(arylene ether sulfone) (SPES) copolymers, a highly thermally stable HC-PEM. HOMO levels, the presence of main chain-protecting steric groups, and HOMO LUMO location along the main chain have significant effects on the chain scission modes and degradation rate of SPES copolymers. Rational design of HC-PEMs to suppress midpoint scission can open many opportunities in the development of highly robust polymer electrolytes for fuel cell and other energy storage applications. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.