A reaction-regulated ionic state governed by decarboxylation-driven ionic remodeling

Ion-conducting gels are essential for biointegrated electronics, soft sensors and iontronic devices, yet they remain constrained by a trade-off between fast ion transport and long-term stability. This limitation arises in part because conventional electrolyte design mainly regulates the solvation environment of fixed ionic species, leaving the chemical identity of charge carriers largely unchanged. Here, we report a reaction-regulated hydrated ionic state that controls ion transport through chemical remodeling of ionic species, and define the resulting material as the REACT gel. Water first dissociates choline malate clusters, while amine-containing gelatin triggers decarboxylation-driven anion remodeling to generate smaller and more mobile ionic species. This coupled process increases both free-ion density and ion diffusivity while preserving a stable hydrated state. The resulting REACT gel enables stable operation in bioelectronics, sensing and OECT-based ion-to-electron transduction. This work establishes reaction-driven ion design as a strategy for sustainable, high performance ion-based electronics.[