The requirements for steady nanowire growth under near-equilibrium conditions in the vapor-
liquid-solid (VLS) method is examined with particular emphasis on the configuration of the
liquid droplet. It is found that the final radius of a cylindrical wire is selected by the fixed
volume of liquid VL and the surface-energy ratio γ sl/γ lv but is independent of the solid-
vapor energy γ sv⁠. Existing models for growth, based on a balance of configurational
forces at the triple junction, are shown to be consistent with the principle of maximal release …