The development of smart coatings for a variety of uses depends on the ability of the coating material to perform specific functions. We have used water dispersible polyurethane preparations for the immobilization of binding proteins under mild conditions. In these experiments, antibodies against the enzyme beta-galactosidase or the bacterium Escherichia coli were immobilized in polyurethane coatings and then used to effectively capture their cognate antigen. Further, a second, more general, capture protocol was developed which involves the incorporation of the protein avidin in the plastics. This system efficiently captures biotinylated beta-galactosidase. Biotinylated anti-E. coli antibody captured by avidin bioplastics resulted in a nearly 5-fold increase in the number of bound bacteria when compared to blank polyurethane. The use of avidin in a bioplastic allows any biotinylated antibody to be applied to all or part of the surface resulting in a patterning of capture agents on a preformed surface.