(Phys.org)—Biological material such as bone and muscle tend to have a wide range of elasticity and rigidity that is different from synthetic materials. In general, with synthetic materials, as stiffness increases, elasticity decreases. Biological materials, on the other hand, do not exhibit such a direct relationship. There is much interest in finding materials that mimic biological materials for use as prosthetics and other functions. One such material is the bottlebrush polymer.