An approach is provided for separating a selected component from a plurality of components in a multi-component medium. A multi-component medium is created, including thermally conductive layer into which a template of patterned thermally conductive elements that are thermally separated from each other, a thermally active adhesion layer in thermal communication with the thermally conductive template, and a set of components attached to the thermally active adhesion layer in substantially the same pattern as thermally conductive template. The medium allows a selected component to be released by applying energy to a selected thermally conductive element corresponding to the selected component, inducing a temperature differential reducing the adhesion of the thermally active adhesion layer, without releasing non-selected components.