COLLECTOR MEMBER, POWER GENERATOR, AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING COLLECTOR MEMBER FOR POWER GENERATOR

1 . A collector member, comprising:

a first catalyst layer containing a noble metal or an alloy thereof;

a second catalyst layer formed on the first catalyst layer and containing a noble metal or an alloy thereof; and

a first intermediate layer interposed between the first catalyst layer and the second catalyst layer and containing a carbon fiber.

2 . The collector member according to claim 1 , wherein the first and second catalyst layers contain catalyst particles having an average particle diameter of 0.1 to 2 μm.

3 . The collector member according to claim 1 , further comprising a sheet-shaped base member having a carbon-containing fiber, wherein the first catalyst layer, the first intermediate layer, and the second catalyst layer are held between the proton-conducting membrane and the sheet-shaped base member.

4 . The collector member according to claim 1 , wherein the first catalyst layer and the second catalyst layer contain a Pt-containing alloy, and at least a portion of constituent elements of the first catalyst layer and the second catalyst layer or a composition ratio of constituent elements is different.

5 . The collector member according to claim 1 , wherein the first catalyst layer and the second catalyst layer contain a proton conductor, and each weight ratio of the proton conductor to metal functioning as a catalyst in the first catalyst layer and the second catalyst layer is different.

6 . The collector member according to claim 1 , further comprising a second intermediate layer interposed between the first intermediate layer and the second catalyst layer and constituted of a proton conductor and carbon.

7 . A collector member, comprising:

a sheet-shaped base material having a carbon-containing fiber; and

catalyst particles adhered to an outer periphery of the fiber, containing a noble metal or an alloy thereof, and having an average particle diameter of 0.1 to 2 μm.

8 . The collector member according to claim 7 , wherein when a gas permeability of the collector member is P 1 and a gas permeability of the sheet-shaped base material is P 2 , P 1 ≧P 2 ×0.5 is satisfied.

9 . A power generator, comprising the collector member according to claim 2 .

10 . A method of manufacturing a collector member for a power generator, comprising:

growing a carbon fiber with a length shorter than a diameter of a carbon-containing fiber on an outer periphery of a sheet-shaped base material having the fiber; and

forming catalyst particles, containing a noble metal or an alloy thereof, on the outer periphery of the sheet-shaped base material by a physical vapor deposition method, using the carbon fibers as nuclei.