In vitro biosensing of small targets via phenolic-based nanoparticles (a) Schematic illustration of the use of Au@PDA hydrogel for sensing biothiols. (b) UV-vis absorption spectra and photos of Au@PDA hydrogel with 200 μM Ag+ in response to different biothiols (200 μM). (a and b) Reproduced with permission. Copyright 2018, American Chemical Society. (c) Schematic illustration for the synthesis of PDA-mediated SERS nanoprobes for detecting ROS (e.g., H2O2, O2−, and •OH). The iron–porphyrin site of myoglobin in close proximity to Au core is used as a Raman reporter. Reproduced with permission. Copyright 2017, Wiley-VCH.