  The epitaxial growth of {111} oriented Au on MoS$_2$ is well documented
despite the large lattice mismatch (~8% biaxial strain), and the fact that a Au
{001} orientation results in much less elastic strain. An analysis based on
density functional and linear elasticity theories reveals that the {111}
orientation is stabilized by a combination of favorable surface and interfacial
contributions to the energy, and the compliance of the first layer of the
MoS$_2$.
