A linker-free method to deposit citrate-stabilized Au colloids onto hydrogen-terminated Si by acidifying the Au colloid solution with HF or HCl is presented. This method prevents oxide formation and provides a model system for studying orientation control of nanowires by epitaxy. Conditions are reported that result in vertically oriented Ge nanowires of uniform diameter and length on Si(111). We then present a method to remove Au catalysts from the nanowires with aqueous triiodide and HCl.
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