Biological, Bio-Derived, and Biomimetic Receptors in Mass-Sensitive Sensing

A range of biological recognition materials have been implemented in sensing leading to biosensors based on, e.g., antibodies and enzymes. Aside from these, a wide variety of biomimetic approaches have been published, not least in the context of mass-sensitive sensing. These range from receptors derived directly from nature, such as peptides or (olfactory) proteins, to fully artificial systems, such as molecularly imprinted polymers. This chapter introduces a wide range of such man-made receptor strategies in the context of mass-sensitive sensing. It also covers the most promising application areas identified in the literature, namely diagnostics, environmental monitoring, food safety, and public security. A larger part of the chapter covers molecularly imprinted polymers (MIP) and their role in mass-sensitive sensing, because those have turned out to be the most widespread type of biomimetic recognition species in this context.