In the present thesis, thermal and photochemical methods were developed aiming at the manufacture of elastomeric materials with new and enhanced surface properties. The attachment of functional groups to the C=C double bonds of diene rubber surfaces facilitates the production of dipped latex articles (e.g. medical gloves) with tailor-made surface properties (e.g. polarity and kinetic friction). The surface of the modified natural rubber (NR) latex films was characterized by means of XPS, SEM-EDX, FTIR-spectroscopy and zeta potential measurements. Surface friction plays a key role in the production of latex gloves with good donning properties. To characterize the friction properties of elastomeric materials in conjunction with biotribological systems (human skin), a new tribological method was established. The method was then optimized to obtain a good correlation between the empirically assessed donning properties of natural rubber latex gloves and the measured friction properties of the glove surfaces.