where k b = 0.5kT and θ ij is defined such that cos θ ij = ûj • ûi , where ûi and ûj are the unit vectors along consecutive backbone bonds. Note that a bending potential for the backbone beads is not strictly necessary for a generic flexible bottlebrush model, we include it because the experimental system in this study involves bottlebrushes whose backbones (PNB) are significantly stiffer than their side chains (PLA).